The Hengwrt ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall. Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400.804 600dpi TIFF G4 page imagesUniversity of Michigan LibraryAnn Arbor, Michigan2006AGZ8233.0001.001828 C5O ser.1 no.3 etc.

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Chaucer Society. Publications ; 1st series. no. 3, 9, 27, 39, 51, 71Publications (Chaucer Society) ; Ser. 1, [no.] 3, 9, 27, 39, 51, 71The Hengwrt ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall. Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400.Furnivall, Frederick James, 1825-1910.x, 654 [i.e.659] 30, [27] p. : ill. London :Published for the Chaucer Society by N. Trübner,1868-1879.Issued in 6 parts, 1869-1881."Drawings of the 23 tellers of the 24 Canterbury tales, copied from the Ellesmere ms....by Mr. W.H. Hooper." The drawings of "6 tllers of tales, etc." from the Cambridge ms. are wanting; perhaps were not issued. cf. the colored set issued with no. LXXII for the Six-text edition.Appendix of pieces not in the Hengwrt ms.: The spurious tale of Gamelyn, from Harleian ms. 1758...Canon-Yeoman's tale from the Lichfield cathedral ms.

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THE Hengwrt MS OF Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

EDITED BY FREDERICK J. FURNIVALL.

LONDON: PUBLISHT FOR THE CHAUCER SOCIETY BY N. TRÜBNER & CO., 57 & 59, LUDGATE HILL. 1868-1879.

[The Hengwrt Collection was left by its owner to his friend Mr. William W. E. Wynne of Peniarth, Towyn, Merioneth.]

First Series.

CLAY AND TAYLOR, THE CHAUCER PRESS, BUNGAY.

GROUP A. FRAGMENT I. § 1. GENERAL PROLOGUE. HENGWRT MS. Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury. WHan that Auerylle with his shoures soote The droghte of March / hath perced to the roote And bathed euery veyne in swich lycour Of which vertu engendred is the flour Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in euery holt and heeth The tendre croppes / and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram / his half cours yronne And smale foweles / maken melodye That slepen al the nyght with open Iye So priketh hem nature / in hir corages Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrymages And Palmeres for to seeken straunge strondes To ferne halwes / kouthe in sondry londes And specially / from euery shyres ende Of Engelond / to Caunterbury they wende The holy blisful martir / for to seke That hem hath holpen whan þat they weere seeke Bifel þat in that sesoun on a day In Southwerk at the Tabard / as .I. lay Redy to weenden / on my pilgrymage To Caunterbury / with ful deuout corage At nyght was come / in to that hostelrye Wel .xxix. in a compaignye Of sondry folk / by auenture yfalle In felaweshipe / and pilgrymes weere they alle That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde The chambres and the stables / weeren wyde And wel we weeren esed / at the beste And shortly whan the sonne was to reste So hadde I spoken with hem euerichoon That I was of hir felaweshipe anoon And maade forward / erly for to ryse To take oure wey / ther as .I. yow deuyse ¶ But nathelees / while .I. haue tyme and space Er that I ferther / in this tale pace Me thynketh it acordant to resoun To telle yow / al the condicioun Of eech of hem / so as it seemed me And whiche they weere / and of what degree And eek in what array / þat they weere Inne And at a knyght thanne wol I first bigynne ¶ A knyght ther was / and that a worthy manKnyght/ That fro the tyme / þat he first bigan To ryden out he loued chiualrye Trouthe and honour / fredom and curteisye fful worthy was he / in his lordes werre And ther to hadde he ryden / no man ferre As wel in cristendom / as hethenesse And euere honured / for his worthynesse ¶ At Alisaundre he was / whan it was wonne fful ofte tyme / he hadde the bord bigonne Abouen alle nacions / in Pruce In lettow / hadde he reysed / and in Ruce No cristen man so ofte / of his degree In Gernade at the seege eek hadde he be At Algizir / and ryden in Belmarye At lyeys was he / and at Satalye Whan they weere wonne / and in the grete see At many a noble armee / hadde he bee ¶ At mortal batailles / hadde he been fiftene And foghten for oure feyth / at Tramyssene In lystes thryes / and ay slayn his foo ¶ This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also Somtyme / with the lord of Palatye Agayn another hethen in Turkye And euere moore / he hadde a souereyn prys And thogh þat he weere worthy / he was wys And of his poort as meke / as is a mayde Ne neuere yet no vileynye he sayde In al his lyf vn-to no manere wight He was a verray perfit gentil knyght But for to tellen yow / of his array Hise hors weere goode / but he ne was nat gay Of ffustian / he wered a gypon Al bismotered / with his haubergeon ffor he was laate / comen from his viage And wente / for to doon his pilgrymage ¶ With hym / ther was his sone a yong SquyerSquyer. A louere / and a lusty Bachiler With lokkes crulle / as they weere leyd in presse Of .xx. yeer / he was of age I gesse Of his stature / he was of euene lengthe And wonderly delyuere / and of greet strengthe And he hadde been som tyme / in chiuachye In fflaundres / in Artoys / and Picardye And born hym wel / as in so litel space In hope / to stonden / in his lady grace ¶ Embrouded was he / as it weere a meede Al ful of fresshe floures / white and reede Syngynge he was / or floytynge al the day He was as fressh / as is the Monthe of May Short was his gowne / with sleues / longe & wyde Wel koude he sitte on hors / and faire ryde He koude songes wel make / and endite Iuste and eek daunce / and wel portreye and write So hoote he loued / that by nyghtertale He slepte namoore / than dooth a nyghtyngale Curteys he was / lowely / and seruysable And carf biforn his fader / at the table ¶ A Yeman he hadde / and seruantz namoYeman. At that tyme / for hym liste ryde so And he was clad / in coote and hood of greene A sheef of Pecok arwes / bright and keene Vnder his belt he bar ful thriftily Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly His arwes drowped noght with fetheres lowe And in his hand / he bar a myghty bowe A not heed hadde he / with a broun visage Of wodecraft / koude he wel al the vsage Vp on his arm / he bar a gay bracer And by his syde / a swerd and a Bokeler And on that oother syde / a gay daggere Harneysed wel / and sharpe / as poynt of spere A Cristofre on his brest of siluer sheene An horn he bar / the bawdryk was of greene A fforster was he / soothly as I gesse ¶ Ther was also / a Nonne a PrioressePrioresse. That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy Hir gretteste ooth / was but by Seint Loy And she was clepyd / madame Eglentyne fful wel she soong the seruyce dyuyne, Entuned in hir nose / ful semely And frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly After the scole / of Stratford at the Bowe ffor frenssh of Parys / was to hire vnknowe At mete / wel ytaught was she with alle She leet no morsel / from hir lyppes falle Ne wette hir fyngres / in hir sauce deepe Wel koude she carye a morsel / and wel keepe That no drope / fille vp on hir brist In curteisye / was set muchel hir list Hir ouer lyppe / wyped she so cleene That in hir coppe / ther was no ferthyng seene Of grece / whan she dronken hadde hir draghte fful semely / after hir mete she raghte And sikerly / she was of greet desport And ful plesaunt and amyable of port And peyned hire / to countrefete chiere Of Court and been estatlich of manere And to been holden / digne of reuerence But for to speken / of hir conscience She was so charitable / and so pitous She wolde wepe / if þat she sawe a Mous Caught in a trappe / if it weere deed / or bledde Of smale houndes / hadde she / þat she fedde With rosted flessh / or mylk / and wastel breed But soore wepte she / if oon of hem weere deed Or if men smoot it / with a yerde smerte And al was conscience / and tendre herte fful semely / hir wympel pynched was Hir nose tretez / hir eyen / greye as glas Hir mouth ful smal / and ther to / softe and reed But sikerly / she hadde a fair forheed It was almoost a spanne brood I trowe ffor hardily / she was nat vndergrowe fful fetys was hir cloke / as I was war Of smal Coral / aboute hir arm she bar A peyre of bedes / gauded al with greene And ther on heeng a brooch of gold ful sheene On which / was first writen / a crowned .A. And after / amor vincit omnia. ¶ Another Nonne / with hire hadde she,Nonne Chap|eleyne and thre prestes. That was hire Chapeleyne / and preestes thre. ¶ A Monk ther was / a fair for the maystryeMonk/. An outrydere / that louede venerye A manly man / to been an Abbot able fful many a deyntee hors / hadde he in stable And whanne he rood / men myghte his brydel heere Gyngle in a whistlynge wynd / as cleere And eek as loude / as dooth the Chapel belle There as this lord / is kepere of the selle The rule of seint Maure / or of seint Beneyt By cause þat it was oold / and som deel streyt This ilke Monk / leet oolde thynges pace And heeld / after the newe world the space He yaf noght of that text a pulled hen That seith / þat hunterys been none holy men Ne þat a Monk. whan he is recchelees Is likned / til a fissh / þat is waterlees This is to seyn / a Monk out of his Cloystre But thilke text heeld he nat worth an Oystre And I seyde / his opynyon was good What sholde he studie / and make hym seluen wood Vp on a book in Cloystre alwey to poure Or swynke with his handes / and laboure As Austyn bit. how shal the world be serued Lat Austyn heue his swynk. to hym reserued Ther fore / he was a prykasour aryght Grehoundes he hadde / as swift as fowel in flyght Of prikyng and of huntyng for the haare Was al his lust. for no cost wolde he spaare I saugh his sleues / purfiled at the hond With grys / and that the fyneste of a lond And for to festne his hood / vnder his chyn He hadde / of gold / wroght a ful curious pyn A loue knotte / in the gretter ende ther was His heed was balled / that shoon as any glas And eek his face / as he hadde been enoynt He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt Hise eyen steepe / and rollynge in his heed That stemed / as a fourneys of a leed Hise bootes souple / his hors / in greet estaat Now certeynly / he was a fair prelat He was nat paale / as is a forpyned goost A fat swan / loued he / best of any roost His palfrey / was as broun as any berye ¶ A frere ther was / a wantowne and a merye,¶ ffrere. A lymytour / a ful solempne man In alle the ordres foure / is noon þat kan So muche of daliaunce / and fair langage He hadde maked / ful many a mariage Of yonge wommen / at his owene cost Vn to his ordre / he was a noble post fful wel biloued / and famylier was hee With ffrankeleyns / ouer al in his contree And eek with worthy wommen / of the town ffor he hadde / power of confessioun As seyde him self / moore than a curaat ffor of his ordre / he was licenciaat fful swetely / herde he confessioun And plesant. was his absolucioun He was an esy man / to yeue penaunce Ther as he wiste / to haue a good pitaunce ffor vn to a poure ordre / for to yeue Is signe / that a man / is wel yshryue ffor if he yaf he dorste make auaunt He wiste / þat a man was repentaunt ffor many a man / so hard is of his herte He may nat weepe / thogh þat he soore smerte Ther fore / in stede of wepynge / and preyeres Men moote yeue siluer / to the poure freres ¶ His typet was ay farsed ful of knyues And pynnes / for to yeuen faire wyues And certeynly / he hadde a murye noote Wel koude he synge / and pleyen on a roote Of yeddynges / he bar outrely the prys His nekke whit was / as the flour delys Ther to he stroong was / as a Champioun He knew the tauernes wel in euery town And euery hostiler / and Tappestere Bet / than a lazer / or a beggestere ffor vn to swich a worthy man / as he Acorded nat / as by his facultee To haue / with syke lazers aqueyntaunce It is nat honeste / it may noght auaunce ffor to deelen / with no swich poraille But al with riche / and sellerys of vitaille And ouer al / ther as profit sholde aryse Curteys he was / and lowely of seruyse Ther was no man / nowheer / so vertuous He was the beste beggere / of his hous And yaf a certeyn ferme / for the graunt Noon of his bretheren / cam ther in his haunt ffor thogh a wydwe / hadde noght a sho So plesant was his In principio Yet wolde he haue a ferthyng er he wente His purchaas / was wel bettre than his rente And rage he koude / as it weere right a whelpe In louedayes / koude he muchel helpe ffor there / he was nat lyk a Cloystrer With a threedbare cope / as is a poure scoler But he was lyk a maister / or a Pope Of double worstede / was his semycope And rounded as a belle / out of the presse Somwhat he lypsed / for his wantownesse To make his englyssh / sweete vp on his tonge And in his harpyng whan þat he hadde songe Hise eyen twynkled / in his heed aryght As doon the sterres / in the frosty nyght This worthy lymytour / was cleped Huberd ¶ A Marchant was ther / with a forked berdMarchaunt. In Motlee / and hye on hors he sat Vp on his heed / a fflaundryssh Beuere hat His bootes clasped / faire and fetisly Hise resons / he spak ful solempnely Sownyng alway / thencrees of his wynnyng He woolde / the see weere kept for any thyng Bitwixen Myddelburgh / and Orewelle Wel koude he / in eschaunge / sheeldes selle This worthy man / ful wel his wit bisette Ther wiste no wight. that he was in dette So estaatly was he / of his gouernaunce With his bargaynes / and with his cheuysaunce ffor soothe / he was a worthy man with alle But sooth to seyn / I noot how men hym calle ¶ A Clerc ther was / of Oxenford also¶ Clerc/ of Oxenforde. That vn to logyk. hadde longe ygo As leene was his hors / as is a rake And he was noght right fat I vndertake But looked holwe / and ther to sobrely fful threedbaare / was his ouereste Courtepy ffor he hadde / geten hym yet no benefice Ne was so worldly / for to haue office For hym was leuere / haue at his beddes heed Twenty bookes / clad / in blak / or reed Of Aristotle / and his Philosophye Than robes riche / or ffithele / or gay Sautrye But al be / that he was a Philosophre Yet hadde he / but litel gold in Cofre But al that he myghte / of his frendes hente On bookes / and on lernynge / he it spente And bisily / gan for the soules preye Of hem / that yaf hym / wher with to scoleye Of studye / took he moost cure and moost heede Noght oo word spak he / moore than was neede And that was spoke / in forme / and reuerence And short and quyk and ful of heigh sentence Sownynge in moral vertu / was his speche And gladly wolde he lerne / and gladly teche ¶ A Sergeaunt of lawe / waar / and wys¶ Sergeaunt of Lawe. That often / hadde been at the Parvys Ther was also / ful ryche of excellence Discreet he was / and of greet reuerence He seemed swich / hise wordes weeren so Wyse Iustice he was / ful often in Assise By patente / and by pleyn commissioun ffor his science / and for his heigh renoun Of fees and robes / hadde he many oon So greet a purchasour / was nowher noon Al was fee symple / to hym / in effect His purchasyng myghte nat been infect Nowher so bisy a man as he / ther nas And yet he seemed / bisyer than he was In termes / hadde he caas / and doomes alle That from tyme of kyng william / weere falle Ther to / he koude endite / and make a thyng Ther koude no wight pynchen at his writyng And euery statut. koude he pleyn by roote He rood but hoomly / in a medlee coote Girt with a ceynt of sylk. with barres smale Of his array / telle I no lenger tale ¶ A ffrankeleyn / was in his compaignye¶ ffrankeleyn. Whit was his berd / as is the dayesye Of his complexcion / he was sangwyn Wel loued he by the morwe / a sope in wyn To lyuen in delyt was euere his wone ffor he was / Epicurus owene sone That heeld opynyon / þat pleyn delit Was verray / felicitee parfit An housholdere / and that a greet was hee Seint Iulyan he was / in his contree His breed / his ale / was alweys after oon A bettre envyned man / was neuere noon With outen bake mete / was neuere his hous Of fresshe fisshe / and flesshe / and that so plentevous It snewed in his hous / of mete and drynke Of alle deyntees / þat men koude bithynke After / the sondry sesons / of the yeer So chaunged he / his mete / and his soper fful many a fat partrych / hadde he in Muwe And many a breem / and many a luce in Stuwe Wo was his Cook / but if his Sauce weere Poynaunt and sharpe / and redy al his geere His table dormaunt in his halle alway Stood redy couered / al the longe day At sessions / ther was he / lord and sire fful ofte tyme / he was knyght of the Shire An Anlaas / and a Gipser / al of Sylk Heeng at his girdel / whit as morne mylk A Shirreue hadde he been / and Countour Was nowheer / swich a worthy vauasour ¶ An haberdasshere / and a CarpenterHaberdasshere Carpenter. Webbe. Dyere. Tapycer. A Webbe / a Dyere / and a Tapycer And they weere clothed alle / in oo lyueree Of a solempne / and a greet fraternytee fful fressh and newe / hir geere apyked was Hir knyues weere chaped / noght with bras But al with siluer / wroght ful clene and wel Hir girdles / and hir pouches / euerydel Wel seemed eech of hem / a fair Burgeys To sitten in a yeldehalle / on a deys Euerych / for the wisdom / þat he kan Was shaply / for to been an Alderman ffor catel / hadde they ynogh / and rente And eek hir wyues / wolde it wel assente And ellis certeyn / they weere to blame It is ful fair / to been yclepyd madame And goon to vigilies / al bifore And haue a Mantel / realliche ybore ¶ A Cook they hadde with hem / for the nonesCook/. To boille the chiknes / with the Marybones And poudre marchaunt. tart and / Galyngale Wel koude he knowe / a draghte of london ale He koude rooste / and seethe / and broille / & frye Maken Mortreux / and wel bake a pye But greet harm was it as it thoughte me That on his Shyne / a Mormal hadde he ffor Blankmanger / that maade he with the beste ¶ A Shipman was ther / wonyng fer by westeShipman. ffor aught I woot he was of Dertemouthe He rood vp on a Rouncy / as he kouthe In a gowne of faldyng to the knee A daggere hangynge on a laas / hadde he Aboute his nekke / vnder his arm adown The hoote Somer / hadde maad his hewe al brown And certeynly / he was a good felawe fful many a draghte of wyn / hadde he drawe ffro Burdeuxward / whil þat the Chapman sleepe Of nyce conscience / took he no keepe If þat he faght and hadde the hyer hond By watre he sente hem hoom / to euery lond But of his craft to rekene wel his tydes His stremys / and his daungers hym bisydes His herberwe and his moone / his lodmenage Ther was noon swich / from hulle to Cartage Hardy he was / and wys to vndertake With many a tempest hadde his beerd been shake He knew alle the hauenes / as they weere ffro Gootlond / to the cape of ffynysteere And euery cryke / in Britaigne / and in Spaigne His barge / y-clepyd was the Mawdelayne ¶ With vs / ther was / a Doctour of PhisykDoctour of Phisyk/. In al this world / ne was ther noon hym lyk To speken of Phisyk and of Surgerye ffor he was grounded / in Astronomye He kepte his pacient a ful greet deel In houres / by his magyk natureel Wel koude he fortunen / the ascendent Of hise ymages / for his pacient He knew the cause / of euery maladye Weere it of hoot or coold / or moyste / or drye And where it engendred / and of what humour He was a verray / perfit practisour The cause yknowe / and of his harm the roote Anoon he yaf / the sike man his boote ¶ fful redy hadde he / hise Apothecaryes To senden hym / his drogges / and his letuaryes ffor eech of hem / maade oother for to wynne Hir frendshipe / was noght newe to bigynne Wel knew he / the oolde Esculapyus And Discorides / and eek Rusus Olde ypocras / Haly / and Galyen Serapion / Razis / and Avycen Auerroys / Damascien / and Constantyn Bernard / and Gatesden / and Gilbertyn Of his diete / mesurable was hee ffor it was / of no superfluytee But of greet norissynge / and digestible His studye / was but litel on the Bible In sangwyn and in Pers / he clad was al Lyned with Taffata / and with Sendal And yet he was / but esy of dispence He kepte / þat he wan in pestilence ffor gold in Phisyk. is a Cordial Ther fore / he loued gold in special ¶ A good wyf was ther / of bisyde BatheThe Goode Wyf of bisyde Bathe. But she was som del deef and that was scathe Of clooth makynge / she hadde swich an haunt She passed hem / of Ipres / and of Gaunt In al the parysshe / wyf ne was ther noon That to the offrynge / bifore hire sholde goon And if ther dide / certeyn / so wrooth was shee That she was / out of alle charitee Hir Couerchiefes / ful fyne weere of grownd I dorste swere / they weyeden. ten pownd That on a Sonday / weeren vp on hir heed Hir hosen weeren / of fyn Scarlet reed fful streyte yteyd / and shoes / ful moyste & newe Boold was hir face / and fair and reed of hewe She was a worthy womman / al hir lyue Housbondes at chirche dore / she hadde fyue With outen oother compaignye / in yowthe But ther of / nedeth noght to speke as nowthe And thries / hadde she been at Ierusalem She hadde passed / many a straunge strem At Rome she hadde been / and at Boloyne In Galyce at Seint Iame / and at Coloyne She koude muchel / of wandrynge by the weye Gattothed was she / soothly for to seye Vp on an Amblere / esily she sat Ywympled wel / and on hir heed an hat As brood as is / a Bokeler / or a Targe A foot mantel / aboute hir hypes large And on hir feet a peyre of spores sharpe In felaweshipe / wel koude she laughe. and carpe Of remedies of loue / she knew par chaunce ffor she koude of that art the olde daunce ¶ A good man / was ther / of Religioun And was a poure parson / of a tounParson of a town. But riche he was / of holy thoght and werk He was also / a lerned man a Clerk That Cristes gospel / trewely wolde preche His parisshens / deuoutly wolde he teche Benygne he was / and wonder diligent And in aduersitee / ful pacient And swich he was proeued / ofte sythes fful looth weere hym / to cursen for his tythes But rather wolde he yeuen / out of doute Vn to his poure parisshens aboute Of his offrynge / and eek of his substaunce He koude in litel thyng haue suffisaunce Wyd was his parisshe / and houses fer a sonder But he ne lafte noght for reyn ne thonder In siknesse / nor in meschief to visite The ferreste in his parisshe / muche and lyte Vp on his feet and in his hond a staf This noble ensample / to his sheep he yaf That first he wroghte / and afterward he taughte Out of the gospel / he tho wordes caughte And this figure / he added eek ther to That if gold ruste / what sholde Iren do ffor if a preest be foul / in whom we truste No wonder is / a lewed man to ruste And shame it is / if a preest take keepe A shiten shepherde / and a clene sheepe Wel oghte a preest ensample for to yiue By his clennesse / how þat his sheep sholde lyue He sette noght. his benefice to hyre And leet his sheep / encombred in the Myre And ran to London / vn to Seint Poules To seeken hym / a Chauntrye for soules Or with a breetherede / to been withhoolde But dwelte at hoom / and kepte wel his foolde So þat the wolf ne maade it noght myscarye He was a sheepherde / and noght a Mercenarye And thogh he hooly weere / and vertuous He was noght to synful men despitous Ne of his speche / daungerous / ne digne But in his techyng discreet and benygne To drawen folk to heuene / with fairnesse By good ensample / this was his bisynesse But it weere / any persone obstynaat What so he weere / of heigh / or lowe estaat Hym wolde he snybben / sharply for the nonys A bettre preest I trowe ther nowher noon ys He wayted / after no pompe / and reuerence Ne maked hym / a spyced conscience But Cristes loore / and hise Apostles twelue He taughte / but first he folwed it hym selue ¶ With hym ther was a Plowman / was his brootherPlowman. That hadde ylad of donge / ful many a ffoother A trewe swynkere / and a good was he Lyuynge in pees / and perfit charitee God loued he best with al his hoole herte At alle tymes / thogh hym gamed / or smerte And thanne his Neighebore / right as hym selue He wolde thresshe / and ther to / dyke and delue ffor Cristes sake / with euery poure wight With outen hyre / if it laye in his myght His tythes payde he / ful faire and wel Bothe of his propre swynk and his catel In a Tabard he rood / vp on a Mere Ther was also / a Reue / and a Millere A Somonour / and a Pardoner also A Maunciple / and my self ther weere namo ¶ The Millere / was a stout carl / for the nonesMillere. fful byg he was / of brawen / and eek of bones That proeued wel / for ouer al ther he cam At wrastlynge / he wolde haue alwey the Ram He was short shuldred / brood / a thikke knarre Ther was no dore / that he noolde heue of harre Or breke it at a rennynge / with his heed His beerd / as any sowe / or fox / was reed And ther to brood / as thogh it weere a spaade Vp on the cope right of his nose he haade A werte / and ther on stood / a tuft of heerys Reede / as the bristles / of a Sowes eerys Hise nosethirles / blake weere and wyde A swerd and a bokeler / baar he by his syde His mouth as greet was / as a greet fourneys He was a Ianglere / a Golyardeys And that was moost of synne and harlotryes Wel koude he stelen corn / and tollen thryes And yet he hadde / a thombe of gold pardee A whit coote / and a blew hood wered hee A Baggepipe / wel koude he / blowe and sowne And ther with al / he broghte vs out of towne ¶ A gentil Maunciple / was ther / of a TempleMaunciple. Of which / Achatours myghte take exemple ffor to been wyse / in byynge of vitaille ffor wheither þat he payde / or took by taille Algate he wayted so / in his achaat That he was ay biforn / and in good staat ¶ Now is nat that of god / a ful greet grace That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace The wysdom / of an heepe / of lerned men Of Maistres hadde he mo / than thryes ten That weeren of lawe / expert and curious Of whiche / ther weere a dozeyne / in that hous Worthy / to been stywardes / of rente / and lond Of any lord / that is in Engelond To make hym lyue / by his propre good In honour dettelees / but if he weere wood Or lyue as scarsly / as hym lyst desire And able / for to helpen al a Shire In any caas / that myghte falle or happe And yet this Maunciple / sette hir aller cappe ¶ The Reue / was a sclendre coleryk manReue His beerd was shaue / as neigh as euer he kan His heer was by his eerys / ful rownd yshorn His tope was dokked / lyk a preest byforn fful longe weere hise legges / and ful leene Ylik a staf. ther was no calf yseene Wel koude he keepe / a Gerner and a Bynne Ther was noon Auditour / koude on hym wynne Wel wiste he / by the droghte and by the reyn The yeldynge / of his seed / and of his greyn His lordes sheepe / his neet / his dayerye His swyn / his hors / his stoor / and his pultrye Was hooly / in this Reues gouernynge And by his couenant. yaf the rekenynge Syn that his loord / was twenty yeer of age Ther koude no man / brynge hym in arrerage Ther nas Baillyf. hierde / nor oother hyne That he ne knew / his sleyghte / and his couyne They weere adrad of hym / as of the deeth His wonyng was ful faire vp on an heeth With greene trees / shadwed was his place He koude bettre / than his lord purchace fful riche / he was astoored pryuely His lord / wel koude he plesen subtilly To yeue / and leene hym / of his owene good And haue a thank. and yet a coote and hood In youthe / he lerned hadde / a good Mister He was a wel good wrighte / a Carpenter This Reue sat vp on a wel good Stot That was a Pomely gray / and highte Scot A long Surcote of Pers / vp on he haade And by his syde / he baar a rusty blaade Of Northfolk was this Reue / of which I telle Bisyde a town / men clepyn Baldeswelle Tukked he was / as is a ffrere aboute And euere he rood / the hyndreste of oure route ¶ A Somonour / was ther with vs / in that placeSomonour. That hadde / a fyr-reed Cherubynnes face ffor Sawceflewm he was / with eyen narwe And hoot he was / and lecherous as a Sparwe With scaled browes blake / and pyled berd Of his visage / children weere aferd Ther nas quyk siluer / lytarge / ne Brymstoon Borace / Ceruce / ne Oille of Tartre noon Ne oynement. that wolde clense and byte That hym myghte helpen / of his whelkes whyte Nor of the knobbes / sittynge on his chekes Wel loued he garlek oynons and eek lekes And for to drynke strong wyn / reed as blood Thanne wolde he speke / and crye as he were wood . . . . . . . . . .no gap in the MS. A fewe termes hadde he / two / or thre That he hadde lerned / out of som decree No wonder is / he herde it al the day And eek ye knowe wel / how þat a Iay Kan clepen watte / as wel as kan the Pope But who so koude / in oother thyng hym grope Thanne hadde he spent al his philosophie Ay Questio quid iuris wolde he crye ¶ He was a gentil harlot and a kynde A bettre felawe / sholde men noght fynde He wolde suffre / for a quart of wyn A good felawe / to haue his concubyn A twelf monthe / and excusen hym at the fulle fful pryuely / a fynch eek koude he pulle And if he foond owher / a good felawe He wolde techen hym / to haue noon awe In swich caas / of the Ercedeknes curs But if a mannes soule / were in his purs ffor in his purs / he sholde ypunysshed be Purs is the Ercedeknes helle / seyde he ¶ But wel I woot he lyed right in dede Of cursyng oghte ech gilty man [to] drede ffor curs wol sle / right as assoillyng sauyth And also / war hym of a significauit / ¶ In daunger hadde he / at his owene gyse The yonge gerles / of the diocise And knew hir conseil / and was al hir reed A gerland / hadde he set vp on his heed As greet. as it were / for an Ale stake A bokeler / hadde he maad hym of a cake ¶ With hym ther rood / a gentil PardonerPardoner. Of Rouncyual / his freend / and his comper That streight was comen / fro the Court of Rome fful loude he soong com hyder loue to me This Somonour baar to hym / a styf burdoun Was neuere trompe / of half so greet a soun ¶ This Pardoner / hadde heer / as yelow as wex But smothe it heeng as dooth a stryke of flex By ounces / henge his lokkes þat he hadde And ther with / he his shuldres ouerspradde But thynne it lay / by colpons oon and oon But hood for Iolitee / wered he noon ffor it was trussed vp / in his walet Hym thoughte / he rood al of the newe Iet Discheuele saue his cappe / he rood al bare Swiche glarynge eyen / hadde he as an hare A vernycle / hadde he sowed / vp on his cappe His walet [lay] biforn hym / in his lappe Bretful of pardon / comen from Rome al hoot A voys he hadde / as smal / as hath a Goot No berd hadde he / ne neuere sholde haue As smothe it was / as it were late yshaue I trowe he were a geldyng or a Mare But of his craft. fro Berwyk in to Ware Ne was ther / swich another Pardoner ffor in his Male / he hadde a pilwe beer Which þat he seyde / was oure lady veyl He seyde he hadde / a gobet of the seyl That seint Peter hadde / whan þat he wente Vp on the see / til Ihesu Crist hym hente He hadde a cros of laton / ful of stones And in a glas / he hadde pigges bones But with thise relykes / whan þat he foond A poure parson / dwellyng vp on lond Vp on a day / he gat hym moore moneye Than þat the parson gat / in Monthes tweye And thus / with feyned flaterye and Iapes He made the parson / and the peple his apes But trewely / to tellen at the laste He was in chirche / a noble Ecclesiaste Wel koude he / rede a lesson / and a Storie But alderbest he soong an Offertorie ffor wel he wiste / whan þat soong was songe He moste preche / and wel affyle hys tonge To wynne siluer / as he ful wel koude Ther fore he soong the muryerly and loude ¶ Now haue I toold yow / soothly in a clause Thestaat / tharray / the nombre / and eek the cause Why þat assembled was this compaignye In Southwerk. at this gentil hostelrye That highte the tabard / faste by the belle But now is tyme / to yow for to telle How þat we baren vs / that ilke nyght Whan we weere / in that hostelrye alyght And after wol I telle / of oure viage And al the remenant of oure pilgrymage ¶ But first I pray yow / of youre curteisye That ye narette it / noght my vileynye Though þat I pleynly speke / in this matere To telle yow / hir wordes / and hir cheere Ne thogh I speke / hir wordes proprely ffor this ye knowen / also wel as I Who so shal telle a tale / after a man He moot reherce / as neigh as euere he kan Euerich a word / if it be in his charge Al speke he / neuer so rudeliche and large Or ellis / he moot telle his tale vntrewe Or feyne thyng or fynde wordes newe He may noght spare / althogh he weere his brother He moot as wel / seye o word / as another Crist spak hym self ful brode in holy writ And wel ye woot no vileynye is it Ek Plato seith / who so kan hym rede The wordes / mote be cosyn / to the dede ¶ Also I pray yow / to foryeue it me Al haue I nat set folk / in hir degree Here in this tale / as þat they sholde stonde My wit is short ye may wel vnderstonde ¶ Greet cheere / made oure hoost vs euerichon And to the souper / sette he vs anon He serued vs / with vitaille / at the beste Strong was the wyn / and wel to drynke vs leste A semely man / oure hoost was with alle ffor to been / a Marchal in an halle A large man he was / with eyen stepe A fairer burgeys / was ther noon in Chepe Boold of his speche / and wys / and well ytaught And of manhode / hym lakked right naught Eke ther to / he was right a murye man And after souper / pleyen he bigan And spak of murthe / amonges othere thynges Whan þat we hadde maad oure rekenynges And seyde thus / now lordes trewely Ye been to me / right wel come hertely ffor by my trouthe / if þat I shal nat lye I seigh noght this yeer / so mury a compaignye At ones in this herberwe / as is now ffayn wolde I doon yow myrthe / wiste I how And of a myrthe / I am right now bithoght To doon yow ese / and it shal coste noght ¶ Ye goon to Caunterbury / god yow spede The blisful Martir / quyte yow youre mede And wel I woot as ye goon by the weye Ye shapen yow / to talen and to pleye ffor trewely / confort / ne murthe is noon To ryde by the weye / domb as stoon And ther fore / wol I maken yow desport As I seyde erst and doon yow som confort And if yow liketh alle / by oon assent ffor to stonden / at my Iuggement And for to werken / as I shal yow seye Tomorwe / whan ye ryden by the weye Now by my fader soule / þat is deed But ye be murye / I wol yeue yow myn heed Hoold vp youre hondes / with outen moore speche ¶ Oure conseil / was nat longe for to seche Vs thoughte / it was nat worth / to make it wys And graunted hym / with outen moore avys And bade hym seye / his voirdit as hym leste ¶ Lordynges quod he / now herkneth for the beste But taketh it noght I pray yow in desdeyn This is the poynt to speken short and pleyn That ech of yow / to shorte with oure weye In this viage / shal tellen tales tweye To Caunterburyward / I mene it so And homward / he shal tellen othere two Of auentures / þat whilom haue bifalle And which of yow / þat bereth hym best of alle That is to seyn / that telleth in this cas Tales of best sentence / and moost solas Shal haue a Souper / at oure aller cost Here in this place / sittynge by this post Whan that we come agayn / fro Caunterbury And for to make yow / the moore mury I wol my self goodly wit[h] yow ryde Right at myn owene cost and be youre gyde And who so wole / my Iuggement with seye Shal paye / al that we spende by the weye And if ye vouche sauf / þat it be so Tel me anoon / with outen wordes mo And I wol erly / shape me ther fore ¶ This thyng was graunted / and oure othes swore With ful glad herte / and preyden hym also That he wolde vouche sauf / for to do so And that he wolde been / oure gouernour And of oure tales / Iuge and reportour And sette a souper / at a certeyn prys And we wol ruled been / at his deuys In heigh and logh / and thus by oon assent We been acorded / to his Iuggement And ther vp on / the wyn was fet anoon We dronken / and to reste wente echon With outen / any lenger taryynge ¶ A morwe / whan þat day bigan to sprynge Vp roos oure hoost and was oure aller cok And gadred vs / togydres in a flok And forth we ryden / a litel moore than pas Vn to the wateryng of Seint Thomas And there oure hoost bigan his hors areste And seyde / lordes / herkneth if yow leste ¶ Ye woot youre forward / and it yow recorde If euensong / and morwesong acorde Lat se now / who shal telle the firste tale As euere mote I drynke wyn / or Ale Who so be rebel / to my Iuggement Shal paye / for al / that by the wey is spent Now draweth cut er þat we ferrer twynne He which þat hath the shorteste / shal bigynne ¶ Sire knyght quod he / my mayster and my lord Now draweth cut for that is myn acord Cometh neer quod he / my lady Prioresse And ye sire Clerc. lat be your shamefastnesse Ne studieth noght ley hond to / euery man ¶ Anoon to drawen / euery wight bigan And shortly / for to tellen / as it was Were it by auenture / or sort or cas The sothe is this / the Cut fil to the knyght Of which ful blithe and glad was euery wight And telle he moste his tale / as was resoun By forward / and by composicioun As ye han herd / what nedeth wordes mo And whan this goode man / sawgh þat it was As he / þat wys was / and obedient To kepe his forward / by his free assent He seyde / syn I shal bigynne the game What wel come be the Cut in goddes name Now lat vs ryde / and herkneth what I seye And with that word / we ryden forth oure weye And he bigan / with right a murye cheere His tale anoon / and seyde as ye may heere Here bigynneth the knyghtes tale.¶ Iamque domos patria Scithice post aspera gentis prelia laurigero. Whilom / as olde stories tellen vs Ther was a duc þat highte Theseus Of Atthenes / he was lord and gouernour And in his tyme / swich a conquerour That gretter was ther noon vnder the sonne fful many a riche contree / hadde he wonne What with his wysdom / and his chiualrye He conquered / al the regne of femenye That whilom / was ycleped Scithia And wedded / the queene ypolita And broghte hire hom with hym / in his contree With muchel glorie / and greet solempnitee And eek / hir yonge suster Emelye And thus with victorie / and with melodye Lete I this noble duc to Atthenes ryde And al his hoost. in armes hym bisyde ¶ And certes / if it nere to long to heere I wolde haue toold / fully the manere How / wonnen was the regne of ffemenye By Theseus / and by his Chiualrye And of the grete bataille / for the nones Bitwixen Atthenes / and Amazones And how assegeged was ypolita The faire hardy queene of Scithia And of the feste / þat was at hir weddynge And of the tempest at hir hom comynge But al that thyng / I moot as now forbere I haue god woot / a large feeld to ere And wayke / been the oxen in my plogh The remenant of the tale / is long ynogh I wol nat letten eek / noon of this route Lat euery felawe / telle his tale aboute And lat se now / who shal the souper Wynne And ther I lefte / I wol ayein bigynne[A break in the MS. with] Incipit narracio. This duc / of Whom I make mencion Whanne he was come / almoost to the town In al his wele / and in his mooste pryde He was war / as he caste his eye asyde Wher þat ther kneled / in the heighe weye A compaignye of ladyes / tweye and tweye Ech after oother / clad in clothes blake But swich a cry and swich a wo they make That in this world / nys creature lyuynge That herde / swich another waymentynge And of this cry / they nolde neuere stenten Til they / the reynes of his brydel henten ¶ What folk been ye / þat at myn hom comynge Perturben so my feste / with cryynge Quod Theseus / haue ye so greet envie Of myn honour / that thus compleyne and crye Or who hath yow mysboden / or offended And telleth me / if it may been amended And why þat ye / been clothed thus in blak/ The eldeste lady / of hem alle spak Whan she hadde swowned / with a deedly cheere That it was routhe / for to seen and heere ¶ She seyde / lord / to whom ffortune hath yiuen Victorie / and as a Conquerour to lyuen Noght greueth vs youre glorie / and youre honour But we biseken / mercy and socour Haue mercy on oure wo / and oure distresse Som drope of pitee / thurgh thy gentillesse Vp on vs wrecched wommen / lat thow falle ffor certes lord / ther is noon of vs alle That she ne hath been / a duchesse / or a queene Now be we caytyues / as it is wel seene Thanked be ffortune / and hir false wheel That noon estaat assureth to been weel Now certes lord / to abiden youre presence Heere in this temple / of the goddesse clemence We haue been waytynge / al this fourtenyght Now help vs lord / syth it is in thy myght ¶ I wrecche / which þat wepe and waille thus Was whilom wyf / to kyng Cappaneus That starf at Thebes / cursed be the day And alle we / þat been in this array And maken / al this lamentacioun We losten alle oure housbondes / at that town Whil þat the sege / ther aboute lay And yet now / the olde Creon weylaway That lord is now / of Thebes the Citee ffulfild of Ire / and of Iniquitee He for despit / and for his tyrannye To doon / the dede bodyes vileynye Of alle oure lordes / whiche þat been slawe Hath alle the bodyes / on an heepe ydrawe And wol nat suffren hem / by noon assent Neyther to been yburyed / nor ybrent But maketh houndes / ete hem in despit And with that word / with outen moore respit They fillen gruf and cryden pitously Haue / on vs wrecched wommen / som mercy And lat oure sorwe / synken in thyn herte ¶ This gentil duc doun from his courser sterte With herte pitous / whan he herde hem speke Hym thoughte / þat his herte wolde breke Whan he saugh hem / so pitous / and so maat That whilom weren / of so greet estaat And in hise armes / he hem alle vp hente And hem conforteth / in ful good entente And swoor his ooth / as he was trewe knyght He wolde doon / so ferforthly his myght Vp on the tiraunt Creon / hem to wreke That al the peple of Grece / sholde speke How Creon was / of Theseus yserued As he þat hadde his deeth / ful wel disserued And right anoon / with outen moore abood His baner he desplayeth / and forth rood To Thebesward / and al his oost bisyde No neer Atthenes / wolde he go ne ryde Ne take his ese / fully half a day But onward in his wey / that nyght he lay And sente anoon / ypolita the queene And Emelye / hir yonge suster sheene Vn to the town of Atthenes / to dwelle And forth he ryt ther nys namoore to telle ¶ The rede statue of Mars / with spere and targe So shyneth / in his white Baner large That alle the feeldes / glitren vp and doun And by his Baner / born was his penoun Of gold ful ryche / in which ther was ybete The Mynotaur / which þat he wan in Crete ¶ Thus ryt this duc. thus ryt this conquerour And in his oost / of Chiualrye the flour Til þat he cam to Thebes / and alighte ffaire in a feeld / ther as he thoghte fighte ¶ But shortly / for to speken of this thyng With Creon / which þat was of Thebes kyng He faught and slow hym manly / as a knyght In pleyn bataille / and putte the folk to flyght And by assaut he wan the Citee after And rente adoun / bothe wal / and sparre / and rafter And to the ladyes / he restored agayn The bones / of hir freendes / þat were slayn To doon obsequies / as was tho the gyse But it weere al to long for to deuyse The grete clamour / and the waymentynge That the ladyes made / at the brennynge Of the bodies / and the grete honour That Theseus / the noble Conquerour Dooth to the ladys / whan they from hym wente But shortly / for to telle is myn entente ¶ Whan þat this worthy duc this Theseus Hath Creon slayn / and wonne Thebes thus Stille in that feeld / he took al nyght his reste And dide with al the / contree / as hym leste ¶ To ransake in the taas / of bodies dede Hem for to strepe / of harneys / and of wede The pilours / diden bisynesse / and cure After the bataille / and disconfiture And so bifel / in the taas they founde Thurgh girt with many a greuous blody wownde Two yonge knyghtes / liggynge by and by Bothe in oon armes / wroght ful richely Of whiche two / Arcita highte that oon And that oother knyght highte Palamon Nat fully quyk / ne fully deed they weere But by hir Cote armures / and by hir geere The heraudes / knewe hem best in special As they þat weren / of the blood roial Of Thebes / and of sustren two yborn Out of the taas / the pilours han hem torn And han hem caryed / softe vn to the tente Of Theseus / and he ful soone hem sente To Atthenes / to dwellen in prison Perpetuelly / he nolde no raunson ¶ And whan this worthy duc / hath thus ydoon He took his oost / and hom he ryt anoon With laurer corouned / as a conquerour And there he lyueth / in ioye / and in honour Terme of his lyf / what nedeth wordes mo And in a tour / in angwissh and in wo Dwellen this Palamon / and eek Arcite ffor euere moore / ther may no gold hem quyte ¶ This passeth yeer by yeer / and day by day Til it fil ones / in a morwe of May That Emelye / þat fairer was to seene Than is the lilie / vp on his stalke greene And fressher than the May / with floures newe ffor with the Rose colour stroof hir hewe I noot which was / the fairer of hem two Er it were day / as was hir wone to do She was arysen / and al redy dight ffor May wol haue / no slogardye a nyght The seson pryketh / euery gentil herte And maketh it out of his sleep to sterte And seith arys / and do thyn obseruance This maketh Emelye / haue remembrance To doon honour to May / and for to ryse Yclothed was she fressh / for to deuyse Hir yelow heer / was broyded in a tresse Bihynde hir bak a yerde long I gesse And in the gardyn / at the sonne vp riste She walketh vp and doun / and as hir liste She gadreth floures / party white and rede To make a subtil gerland for hir hede And as an Aungel / heuenysshly she soong ¶ The grete tour / þat was so thikke and strong Which of the Castel / was the chief dongeon Ther as the knyghtes / weren in prison Of whiche I tolde yow / and tellen shal Was euene ioynant / to the gardyn wal Ther as this Emelye / hadde hir pleyyng Bright was the sonne / and cleer / in that mornyng And Palamon / this woful prisoner As was his wone / by leue of his Gailler Was risen / and romed in a chambre an heigh In which / he al the noble Citee seigh And eek the gardyn / ful of braunches greene Ther as / the fresshe Emelye the sheene Was in hir walk / and romed vp and down This sorweful prisoner / this Palamon Gooth in the chambre / romyng to and fro And to hym self / compleynyng of his wo That he was born / ful ofte he seyde allas And so bifel / by auenture / or cas That thurgh a wyndow / thikke of many a barre Of Iren greet and square as any sparre He caste his eye / vp on Emelya And ther with al he bleynte / and cryde .A. As thogh / he stongen weere / vn to the herte ¶ And with that cry / Arcite anoon vp sterte And seyde cosyn myn / what eyleth thee That art so pale / and deedly on to see Why cridestow / who hath thee doon offence ffor goddes loue / tak al in pacience Oure prison / for it may noon oother be ffortune hath yeuen vs this aduersitee Som wikked aspect or disposicion Of Saturne / by som constellacion Hath yeuen vs this / al thogh we hadde it sworn So stood the heuene / whan þat we were born We mote endure it this is the short and playn This Palamon answerde / and seyde agayn ¶ Cosyn for sothe / of this opinion Thow hast a vayn ymaginacion This prison / caused me noght to crye But I was hurt right now / thurgh out myn Iye In to myn herte / that wol my bane be The fairnesse / of that lady þat I se Yond in the gardyn / romen to and fro Is cause / of al my cryyng and my wo I noot wher she be womman / or goddesse But Venus / is it soothly as I gesse And ther with al / on knees down he fil And seyde / Venus if it be thy wil Yow in this gardyn / thus to transfigure Bifore me / sorweful wrecched creature Out of this prison / help þat we may scape And if so be / my destynee be shape By eterne word / to dyen in prison Of oure lynage / haue som compassion That is so lowe ybroght by tirannye ¶ And with that word / Arcite gan espye Where as this lady / romed to and fro And with that sighte / hir beautee hurte hym so That if þat Palamon / was wounded soore Arcite is hurt. as muche as he / or moore And with a syk /. he seyde pitously The fresshe beautee / sleeth me sodeynly Of hire / þat rometh in the yonder place And but I haue / hir mercy / and hir grace That I may seen hire / at the leeste weye I nam but deed / ther nys namoore to seye ¶ This Palamon / whan he tho wordes herde Despitously he loked / and answerde Wheither seistow this / in ernest or in pley ¶ Nay quod Arcite / in ernest by my fey God help me so / me list ful yuele pleye This Palamon / gan knytte his browes tweye ¶ It were to thee quod he / no greet honour ffor to be fals / ne for to be traytour To me / that am thy cosyn and thy brother Ysworn ful depe / and ech of vs til oother That neuere / for to dyen in the peyne Til þat the deeth / departe shal vs tweyne Neither of vs / in loue to hyndre oother Ne in noon oother caas / my leeue brother But þat thow sholdest trewely forthre me In euery caas / and I shal forthren thee This was thyn ooth / as myn also certeyn I woot right wel / thow darst it nat withseyn Thus artow of my conseil / out of doute And now / thow woldest falsly been aboute To loue my lady / whom I loue and serue And euere shal / til þat myn herte sterue Now certes false Arcite / thow shalt nat so I loued hire first and tolde thee my wo As to my conseil / and my brother sworn To forthre me / as I haue told biforn ffor which / thow art ybounden / as a knyght To helpe me / if it laye in thy myght Or ellis artow fals / I dar wel sayn This Arcite / ful proudly spak agayn ¶ Thow shalt quod he / be rather fals than I. And thow art fals / I telle thee outrely ffor paramour / I loued hire first er thow What wiltow seyn / thow woost nat yet now Wheither she be a womman / or goddesse Thyn is / affeccion of holynesse And myn is loue / as to a creature ffor which / I tolde thee myn auenture As to my cosyn / and my brother sworn I pose / that thow louedest hire biforn Wostow nat wel / the olde clerkes sawe That who shal / yeue a louere any lawe //Quis legem det amantibus. Loue is a gretter lawe / by my pan Than may be yeue / to any erthely man And therfore / posityf lawe / and swich decree Is broke al day for loue / in ech degree A man moot nedes loue / maugree his heed He may nat fleen it / thogh he sholde be deed Al be she mayde / wydwe / or ellis wyf And eek it is nat likly / al thy lyf To stonden in hir grace / namoore shal .I. ffor wel thow woost thy self verraily That thow and I / been dampned to prison Perpetuelly / vs gayneth no raunson We stryue / as dide the houndes for the boon They foghte alday / and yet hir part was noon Ther cam a kyte / whil þat they were so wrothe That bar awey the boon / bitwix hem bothe And therfore / at the kynges court my brother Ech man for hym self / ther is noon oother Loue if thee lest. for I loue / and ay shal And soothly / leue brother this is al Heere in this prison / moote we endure And euerich of vs / take his auenture ¶ Greet was the stryf / and long bitwix hem tweye If þat I hadde leyser for to seye But to theffect / it happed on a day To telle it yow / as shortly as I may A worthy duc. þat highte Parotheus That felawe was / vn to duc Theseus Syn thilke day / þat they were children lyte Was come to Atthenes / his felawe to visite And for to pleye / as he was wont to do ffor in this world / he loued no man so And he loued hym / as tendrely agayn So wel they loued / as olde bookes sayn That whan þat oon was deed / soothly to telle His felawe wente / and soghte hym down in helle But of that storie / list me noght to write Duc Perotheus / loued wel Arcite And hadde hym knowe at Thebes / yeer oy yere And finally / at requeste and prayere Of Perotheus / with outen any raunson Duc Theseus / hym leet out of prison ffrely to goon / wher þat hym liste ouer al In swich a gyse / as I yow tellen shal This was the forward / pleynly for tendite Bitwixe Theseus / and hym Arcite That if so weere þat Arcite weere yfounde Euere in his lyf / by day / or nyght or stounde In any contree / of this Theseus And he weere caught. it was acorded thus That with a swerd / he sholde lese his heed Ther nas noon oother / remedye ne reed But taketh his leue / and homward he hym spedde Lat hym be war / his nekke lyth to wedde ¶ How greet a sorwe / suffreth now Arcite The deeth he feeleth / thurgh his herte smyte He wepeth / wayleth / cryeth pitously To sleen hym self / he wayteth pryuely He seyde allas / the day þat I was born Now is my prison / worse than biforn Now is me shape / eternally to dwelle Noght in purgatorie / but in helle Allas / þat euere knew I Parotheus ffor ellis / hadde I dwelled with Theseus Yfettred in his prison eueremo Thanne hadde I been in blisse / and nat in wo Oonly the sighte of hire / whom þat I serue Thogh þat I neuere / hir grace may disserue Wolde haue suffised / right ynogh for me ¶ O deere cosyn / Palamon / quod he Thyn is the victorie / of this auenture fful blisfully in prison maystow dure In prison? / nay certes / but in paradys Wel hath ffortune / yturned thee / the dys That hast the sighte of hire / and I thabsence ffor possible is / syn thow hast hire presence And art a knyght a worthy and an able That by som caas / syn ffortune is chaungeable Thow mayst to thy desir / som tyme atteyne But I / that am exiled and bareyne Of alle grace / and in so greet despeyr That ther nys Erthe / water / fyr / ne Eyr Ne creature / that of hem maked is That may me helpe / or do confort in this Wel oghte I sterue / in wanhope / and distresse ffarwel my lyf / my lust and my gladnesse ¶ Allas why pleynen folk so / in commune On purueiance of god / or of ffortune That yeueth hem ful ofte / in many a gyse Wel bettre / than they kan hem self deuyse ¶ Som man desireth / for to haue richesse That cause is ofte / of his moerdre / or gret siknesse And som man wolde / out of his prison fayn That in his hous / is of his meynee slayn Infinite harmes / been in this matere We woot nat what thyng þat we prayen heere We fare as he / þat dronke is as a Mous A dronke man woot wel / he hath an hous But he noot / which the righte wey is thider And to a dronke man / the wey is slider And certes / in this world / so faren we We seken faste / after felicitee But we goon wrong ful ofte trewely Thus may we seyn alle / and nameliche .I. That wende / and hadde a greet opinion That if I myghte / scapen fro prison Thanne hadde I been in ioye / and parfit heele Ther now / I am exiled fro my wele Syn þat / I may nat seen yow Emelie I nam but deed / ther nys no remedie ¶ Vp on that oother syde Palamon Whan þat he wiste / Arcite was agon Swich sorwe he maketh / þat the grete tour Resowneth / of his yowlyng and clamour The pure fettres / of his shynes grete Were / of his bittre salte teeris wete Allas quod he / Arcita cosyn myn Of al oure stryf / god woot the fruyt is thyn Thow walkest now / in Thebes at thy large And of my wo / thow yeuest litel charge Thow maystt syn thow hast wisdom / and manhede Assemblen / al the folk of oure kynrede And make a werre / so sharp / on this Citee That by som auenture / or som tretee Thow mayst haue hire / to lady and to wyf ffor whom / þat I moste nedes lese my lyf ffor as by wey / of possibilitee Sith thow art at thy large / of prison free And art a lord / greet is thyn auantage Moore than is myn / that sterue here in a cage ffor I moot wepe / and waille whil I lyue With al the wo / þat prison may me yeue And eek with peyne / þat loue me yeueth also That doubleth / al my torment and my wo Ther with / the fyr of Ialousie vp sterte With Inne his brest and hente hym by the herte So woodly / þat he lyk was to byholde The Boxtree / or the Asshen dede / and colde ¶ Thanne seyde he / o crewel goddes / þat gouerne This world / with byndyng of youre word eterne And writen / in the table of Atthamant Youre parlement /. and youre eterne grant What is man kynde / moore vn to yow holde Than is the sheepe / þat rowketh in the folde ffor slayn is man / right as another beest And dwelleth eek in prison and arrest And hath siknesse / and greet aduersitee And ofte tymes / giltlees pardee ¶ What gouernance / is in this prescience That giltlees / tormenteth Innocence And yet encreeceth this / al my penance That man is bounden / to his obseruance ffor goddes sake / to letten of his wille Ther as a beest may al his lust fulfille And whan a beest is deed / it hath no peyne But man after his deeth / moot wepe and pleyne Thogh in this world / he haue care and wo With outen doute / it moot stonden so The answere of this / lete I to diuynys But wel I woot þat in this world / greet pyne is ¶ Allas / I se a serpent or a theef That many a trewe man / hath doon mescheef Goon at his large / and where hym lust may turne But I moot been in prison / thurgh Saturne And eek thurgh Juno / Ialous / and eek wood That hath destroyed / wel neigh al the blood Of Thebes / with his waste walles wyde And Venus / sleeth me / on that oother syde ffor Ialousie / and feere / of hym Arcite ¶ Now wol I stynte / of Palamon alite And lete hym / in his prison stille dwelle And of Arcita / forth I wol yow telle ¶ The Somer / and the nyghtes longe Encreecen / double wise / the peynes stronge Bothe of the louere / and the prisoner I noot which hath / the sorwefuller myster ffor soothly for to seyn / this Palamon Perpetuelly / is dampned to prison In cheynes / and in fettres / to been deed And Arcite / is exiled / vp on his heed ffor euere mo / as out of that contree Ne neueremo / ne shal his lady see ¶ Yow loueris / axe I now / this question Who hath the worse / Arcite / or Palamon That oon may seen his lady / day by day But in prison / moot he dwelle alwey That oother where hym list may ride or go But seen his lady / shal he neuere mo Now demeth as yow list ye þat kan ffor I wol telle forth / as .I. bigan ¶ Whan þat Arcite / to Thebes comen was fful ofte a day / he swelte / and seyde allas ffor seen his lady / shal he neuere mo And shortly / to concluden al his wo So muchel sorwe / hadde neuere creature That is or shal / whil þat the world may dure ¶ His sleepe / his mete / his drynke / is hym biraft That leene he weex / and drye as is a shaft Hise eyen holwe / and grisly to biholde His hewe falow / and pale as asshen colde And solitarie he was / and euere alloone And waillynge al the nyght. makynge his moone And if he herde / soong or Instrument Thanne wolde he wepe / he myghte nat be stent So feble eek were his spiritz / and so lowe And chaunged so / þat no man koude knowe His speche / nor his voys / thogh men it herde And in his gere / for al the world he ferde Nat oonly / lyk the loueris maladye Of Hereos / but rather lyk ManyeMania Engendred / of humour malencolyk Biforn his Celle fantastyk And shortly / turned was / al vp so down Bothe habit and eek disposicioun Of hym / this woful louere daun Arcite ¶ What sholde I al day / of his wo endite Whanne he endured hadde / a yeer / or two This cruel torment and this peyne and wo At Thebes in his contree / as I seyde Vp on a nyght in sleep / as he hym leyde Hym thoughte / how þat the wynged god Mercurye Biforn hym stood / and bad hym to be murye His slepy yerde / in honde he bar vp righte An hat he wered / vp on his herys brighte Arrayed was this god / as he took keepe As he was / whan þat Argus took his sleepe And seyde hym thus / to Atthenes shaltow wende Ther is thee shapen / of thy wo an ende ¶ And with that word / Arcite wook and sterte Now trewely / how sore þat me smerte Quod he / to Atthenes right now wol I fare Ne for the drede of deeth / shal I nat spare To se my lady / þat I loue and serue In hir presence / I recche nat to sterue ¶ And with that word / he caughte a greet Mirour And saugh / þat chaunged was al his colour And saugh his visage / al in another kynde And right anoon / it ran hym in his mynde That sith his face / was so disfigured Of maladie / the which he hadde endured He myghte wel / if þat he bar hym lowe Lyue in Atthenes / eueremoore vnknowe And seen his lady / wel ny / day by day And right anoon / he chaunged his array And cladde hym / as a poure laborer And al allone / saue oonly a Squyer That knew his pryuetee / and al his cas Which was disgised / pourely as he was To Atthenes / is he goon / the nexte way And to the Court he wente vp on a day And at the gate / he profreth his seruyse To drugge and drawe / what so men wol deuyse ¶ And shortly / of this matere / for to seyn He fil in office / with a Chambreleyn The which / þat dwellyng was with Emelye ffor he was wys / and koude soone espye Of euery seruant which þat serueth here Wel koude he / hewen wode / and water bere ffor he was yong. and myghty for the nones And ther to / he was strong and byg of bones To doon / what any wight kan hym deuyse A yeer / or two / he was in this seruyse Page of the chambre / of Emelie the brighte And Philostrate / he seyde þat he highte ¶ But half so wel biloued a man / as he Ne was ther neuere in Court of his degree He was so gentil / of condicion That thurgh out al the Court was his renon They seiden / þat it were a charitee That Theseus / wolde enhauncen his degree And putten hym / in worshipful seruyse Ther as he myghte / his vertu exercise And thus with Inne a while / his name is spronge Bothe of his dedes / and his goode tonge That Theseus / hath taken hym so ner That of his chambre / he made hym a Squier And gaf hym gold / to mayntene his degree And eek men broghte hym / out of his contree ffro yeer to yeer / ful pryuely his rente But honestly / and sleighly / he it spente That no man wondred / how þat he it hadde And thre yeer in this wise / his lyf he ladde And bar hym so / in pees / and ek in werre Ther was no man / that Theseus hath derre And in this blisse / lete I now Arcite And speke I wole / of Palamon alite ¶ In derknesse / and horrible / and strong prison This seuen yeer / hath seten Palamon fforpyned / what for wo / and for distresse Who feeleth / double soor / and heuynesse But Palamon / that loue destreyneth so That wood out of his wit he gooth for wo And eek ther to / he is a prisoner Perpetuelly / nat oonly for a yer Who koude ryme / in englissh proprely His martirdom / for sothe it am noght I Ther fore I passe / as lightly / as I may ¶ It fil / þat / in that Seuenthe yeer of May The thridde nyght. as olde bokes seyn That al this storie / tellen moore pleyn Were it by auenture / or destynee As whan a thyng is shapen / it shal be That soone after the mydnyght Palamon By helpyng of a freend / brak his prison And fleeth the Citee / faste as he may go ffor he hadde yeue / his Gailler drynke so Of a Clarree / maad of certeyn wyn With Nercotikes / and opye / of Thebes fyn //Opium Thebaicum. That al that nyght. thogh þat men wolde hym shake The Gailler sleepe / he myghte noght awake ¶ And thus he fleeth / as faste as euere he may The nyght was short and faste by the day That nedes cost he moste hym seluen hyde And til a groue / faste ther bisyde With dreedful foot thanne stalketh Palamon ffor shortly / this was his opynyon That in that groue / he wolde hym hyde al day And in the nyght thanne wolde he take his way To Thebesward / his freendes for to preye On Theseus / to helpe hym to werreye And shortly / outher he wolde lese his lyf Or wynnen Emelie / vn to his wyf This is theffect and his entente pleyn ¶ Now wol I turne / to Arcite ageyn That litel wiste / how neigh þat was his care Til þat ffortune / hadde broght hym / in the snare ¶ The bisy larke / messager of day Salueth in hir song the morwe gray And firy Phebus / riseth vp so brighte That al the Orient. laugheth of the lighte And with his stremes / dryeth in the greues The siluer dropes / hangynge on the leues And Arcita / that in the Court roial With Theseus / Squyer principal Is risen / and looketh on the murye day And for to doon / his obseruance to May Remembrynge / on the point of his desir He on a Courser / startlynge as the fir Is riden in to the feldes / hym to pleye Out of the Court. were it a myle / or tweye And to the groue / of which þat I yow tolde By auenture / his wey he gan to holde To maken hym / a gerland of the greues Were it of wodebynde / or hawethorn leues And loude he soong. ayein the sonne shene May / with alle thy floures / and thy grene Wel come be thow / faire fresshe May In hope / þat I som grene gete may And from his courser / with a lusty herte In to the groue / ful hastily he sterte And in a path / he rometh vp and doun Ther as by auenture / this Palamon Was in a bussh / þat no man myghte hym se ffor soore afered / of his deeth was he No thyng knew he / þat it was Arcite God woot he wolde haue trowed it ful lite But sooth is seyd / go sithen many yeris That feeld hath eyen / and the wode hath erys It is ful fair / a man to bere hym euene ffor alday meeten men / at vnset steuene fful litel woot Arcite / of his felawe, That was so neigh / to herknen al his sawe ffor in the bussh / he sitteth now ful stille ¶ Whan þat Arcite / hadde romed al his fille And songen al the roundel lustily In to a studie / he fil sodeynly As doon thise louerys / in hir queynte gerys Now in the crope / now down in the brerys Now vp / now down / as boket in a welle Right as the friday / soothly for to telle Now it shyneth / now it reyneth faste Right so / kan gery Venus ouercaste The hertes of hir folk. right as hir day Is gerful / right so chaungeth she array Selde is the friday / al the wike ylike ¶ Whan þat Arcite hadde songe / he gan to syke And sette hym down / with outen any moore Allas quod he / that day / þat I was bore How longe Iuno / thurgh thy crueltee Woltow werreyen / Thebes the Citee Allas / ybroght is to confusion The blood roial / of Cadme and Amphion ¶ Cadmus / which þat was the firste man That Thebes bulte / and first bigan And of the Citee / first was crowned kyng Of his lynage am I / and his of-spryng By verray ligne / as of the stok roial And now I am / so caytyf and so thral That he þat is / my mortal enemy I serue hym / as his Squyer pourely And yet dooth Iuno / me wel moore shame ffor I dar noght biknowe myn owen name But ther as I was wont to highte Arcite Now highte I Philostrate / noght worth a myte ¶ Allas thow felle Mars / allas Juno Thus hath youre Ire / oure lynage al fordo Saue oonly me / and wrecchid Palamon That Theseus / martireth in prison And ouer al this / to sleen me outrely Loue hath his firy dart so brennyngly Ystiked / thurgh my trewe careful herte That shapen was my deeth / erst than my sherte Ye sleen me with youre eyen / Emelye Ye been the cause / wherfore þat .I. dye Of al the remenant of myn oother care Ne sette I noght. the mountaunce of a tare So þat I koude doon aught. to youre plesaunce And with that word / he fil down in a traunce A longe tyme / and afterward he vp sterte ¶ This Palamon / that thoughte / þat thurgh his herte He felte a coold swerd / sodeynly glyde ffor Ire he quook. no lenger wolde he byde And whan þat he had herd / Arcites tale As he were wood / with face deed and pale He stirte hym vp / out of the buskes thikke And seyde Arcite / false traytour wikke Now artow hent that louest my lady so ffor whom þat I haue / al this peyne and wo And art my blood / and to my conseil sworn As I ful ofte / haue toold thee her biforn And hast byiaped here / duc Theseus And falsly / chaunged hast thy name thus I wol be deed / or ellis thow shalt dye Thow shalt noght / loue my lady Emelye But I wol loue hire oonly / and namo ffor I am Palamon / thy mortal foo And thogh þat I / no wepne haue in this place But out of prison / am astert by grace I drede noght þat outher thow shalt dye Or thow ne shalt noght louen Emelye Chees which thow wolt or thow shalt noght asterte ¶ This Arcite / with ful despitous herte Whan he hym knew / and hadde his tale herd As fiers as leon / pulled out his swerd And seyde thus / by god þat sitteth aboue Nere it þat thow art syk and wood for loue And eek þat thow / no wepne hast in this place Thow sholdest neuere / out of this groue pace That thow ne sholdest dyen of myn hond ffor I diffye / the seuretee and the bond Which þat thow seist þat I haue maad to thee What verray fool / thynk wel þat loue is free And I wol loue hire / maugree al thy myght ¶ But for as muche / as thow art a worthy knyght And wilnest to darreyne hire by bataille Haue here my trouthe / tomorwe I nyl nat faille With outen wityng of any oother wight That here / I wol be founden / as a knyght And bryngen harneys / right ynogh for thee And chees the beste / and leef the worste to me And mete and drynke / this nyght wol I brynge Ynogh for thee / and clothes for thy beddynge And if so be / þat thow my lady wynne And sle me in this wode / ther I am Inne Thow mayst wel haue thy lady / as for me ¶ This Palamon answerde / I graunte it thee And thus they been departed / til amorwe Whan ech of hem / hadde leyd his feith to borwe O Cupide / out of alle charitee O regne / that wolde no felawe haue to thee fful sooth is seyd / þat loue ne lordshipe Wol noght his thankes / haue no felaweshipe Wel fynden that Arcite and Palamon ¶ Arcite / is riden anoon / vn to the town And on the morwe / er it were dayes lyght fful priuely / two harneys hath he dyght Bothe suffisaunt and mete to darreyne The bataille in the feeld / bitwix hem tweyne And on his hors / allone / as he was born He carieth al this harneys / hym biforn And in the groue / at tyme and place yset This Arcite / and this Palamon been met ¶ To chaungen / gan the colour in hir face Right as the hunterys / in the regne of Trace That stonden at the gappe / with a spere Whanne hunted is / the leon or the Bere And hereth hym / come russhynge in the greues And breketh / bothe bowes / and the leues And thynketh / here cometh my mortal enemy With oute faille / he moot be deed / or .I. ffor outher / I moot sleen hym / at the gappe Or he moot sle me / if þat me myshappe So ferden they / in chaungyng of hir hewe As fer / as euerich / oother of hem knewe ¶ Ther nas no good day / ne no saluynge But streight with outen word / or rehersynge Euerich of hem / heelp for to armen oother As frendly / as he weere / his owene brother And after that / with sharpe speres stronge They foynen / ech at oother / wonder longe Thou myghtest wene / þat this Palamon In his fightynge were a wood leon And as a crewel Tygre / was Arcite As wilde boores / gonnen they to smyte That frothen / whit as foom / for Ire wood Vp to the Anclees / foghte they in hir blood And in this wise / I lete hem fightyng dwelle And forth I wole / of Theseus yow telle ¶ The destynee / Ministre general That executeth / in the world ouer al The purueiance / that god hath seyn biforn So stroong it is / þat thogh the world hadde sworn The contrarie of a thyng by ye / or nay Yet som tyme / it shal fallen on a day That falleth nat eft / with Inne a thousand yeer ffor certeinly / oure appetites heer Be it of werre / or pees / or hate / or loue Al is this ruled / by the sighte aboue ¶ This mene I now / by myghty Theseus That for to hunten / is so desirus And namely / at the grete hert in May That in his bed / ther daweth hym no day That he nys clad / and redy for to ryde With hunte and horn / and houndes hym bisyde ffor in his huntyng hath he swich delit That it is / al his ioye and appetit To been hym self / the grete hertes bane ffor after Mars / he serueth now Diane ¶ Cleer was the day / as I haue told er this And Theseus / with alle ioye and blys With his ypolita / the faire queene And Emelie / clothed al in greene On huntyng be they riden roially And to the groue / that stood ful faste by In which ther was an hert as men hym tolde Duc Theseus / the streighte wey hath holde And to the launde / he rideth hym ful right ffor thider was the hert wont haue his flight And ouer a brook / and so forth on his weye This duc wol han a cours at hym / or tweye With houndes swiche / as þat hym list comaunde And whan this duc. was come vn to the launde Vnder the sonne he looketh / and anon He was war / of Arcite and Palamon That foghten breme as it were boles two The brighte swerdes / wenten to and fro So hidously / that with the leeste strook It semed / as it wolde felle an ook But what they weere / no thyng he ne woot This duc his courser / with the spores smoot And at a stert he was bitwix hem two And pulled out a swerd / and cryed Hoo Namoore / vp on peyne / of lesyng of youre heed By myghty Mars / he shal anon be deed That smyteth any strook / þat I may seen But telleth me / what myster men ye been That been so hardy / for to fighten heer With outen Iuge / or oother officer As it weere in a lystes roially ¶ This Palamon / answerde hastily And seyde / sire / what nedeth wordes mo We haue the deeth disserued / bothe two Two woful wrecches been we / two caytyues That been encombred / of oure owene lyues And as thow art a rightful lord and Iuge Ne yif vs / neither mercy ne refuge But slee me first. for seinte charitee But slee my felawe eek / as wel as me Or slee hym first. for thogh thow knowe it lite This is thy mortal foo / this is Arcite That fro thy lond / is banysshed on his heed ffor which / he hath deserued to be deed ffor this is he / þat cam vn to thy yate And seyde / þat he highte Philostrate Thus hath he iaped thee / ful many a yeer And thow . hast maked hym / thy chief Squyer And this is he / þat loueth Emelye ffor sith the day is come / þat I shal dye I make pleynly / my confession That I am / thilke woful Palamon That hath thy prison / broken wikkedly I am thy mortal foo / and it am I That loueth so hoote / Emelye the brighte That I wol dyen / present in hir sighte Wherfore I axe deeth / and my Iuwise But slee my felawe / in the same wise ffor bothe haue we / deserued to be slayn ¶ This worthy duc answerde anoon agayn And seyde / this is a short conclusion Youre owene mouth / by youre confession Hath dampned yow / and I wol it recorde It nedeth noght to pyne yow with the corde Ye shul be deed / by myghty Mars the rede ¶ The queene anoon / for verray wommanhede Gan for to wepe / and so dide Emelye And alle the ladies / in the compaignye Greet pitee was it / as it thoughte hem alle That euere swich a chaunce / sholde falle ffor gentil men they weere / of greet estaat And no thyng but for loue / was this debaat And sawe / hir blody wowndes / wide and soore And alle cryden / bothe lasse and moore Haue mercy lord / vp on vs wommen alle And on hir bare knees / adown they falle And wolde haue kist his feet ther as he stood Til at the laste / aslaked was his mood ffor pitee / renneth soone in gentil herte And thogh he first for Ire quook and sterte He hath considred / shorthly in a clause The trespas of hem bothe / and eek the cause And al thogh þat his Ire / hir gilt accused Yet in his reson / he hem bothe excused ¶ As thus / he thoghte wel þat euery man Wol helpe hym self in loue / if þat he kan And eek / deliuere hym self / out of prison And eek / his herte hadde compassion Of wommen / for they wepten euere in oon And in his gentil herte / he thoghte anoon And softe vn to hym / self he seyde fy Vp on a lord / that wol haue no mercy¶ nota But be a leon / bothe in word / and dede To hem / that been in repentaunce and drede As wel / as to a proud despitous man That wol mayntene / that he first bigan That lord / hath litel of discrecion That in swich caas / kan no dyuysion But weyeth pryde / and humblesse / after oon And shortly / whan his Ire is thus agoon He gan to loken vp / with eyen lighte And spak thise same wordes / al on highte ¶ The god of loue / a benedicitee How myghty / and how greet a lord is he Agayns his myght. ther gayneth none obstacles He may be clepid a god / for his miracles ffor he kan maken / at his owene gyse Of euerich herte / as þat hym list deuyse ¶ Lo here / this Arcite / and this Palamon That quitly were / out of my prison And myghte haue lyued in Thebes roially And witen / I am hir mortal enemy And þat hir deeth / lyth in my myght also And yet hath loue / maugree hir eyen two Broght hem hyder / bothe for to dye Now looketh / is nat that an heigh folye ¶ Who may been a fool / but if he loue Bihoold for goddes sake / þat sit aboue Se how they blede / be they noght wel arrayed Thus hath hir lord / the god of loue ypayed Hir wages / and hir fees / for hir seruyse And yet they wenen to be ful wyse That seruen loue / for aught þat may bifalle But this is yet the beste game of alle That she / for whom / they haue this Iolitee Kan hem ther fore / as muche thank as me She woot namoore / of al this hoote fare By god / than woot a cokkow of an hare But al moot been assayed / hoot and coold A man moot been a fool / or yong or oold I woot it by my self / ful yoore agoon ffor in my tyme / a seruant was I oon And ther fore / syn I knowe of loues peyne And woot how soore / it kan a man distreyne As he þat hath been caught ofte in his laas I yow foryeue / al hoolly this trespas At requeste of the queene / þat kneeleth heere And eek of Emelye / my suster deere And ye shal bothe anoon / vn to me swere That neuere mo / ye shal my contree dere Ne make werre vp on me / nyght nor day But been my freendes / in al that ye may I yow foryeue / this trespas euerydel And they hym sworen / his axing faire and wel And hym of lordshipe / and of mercy preyde And he hem graunteth grace / and thanne he seyde ¶ To speke of roial lynage / and richesse Thogh þat she weere a queene / or a princesse Ech of yow bothe / is worthy doutelees To wedden whan tyme is / but nathelees I speke / as for my suster Emelye ffor whom / ye haue this stryf and Ialousye Ye woot your self. she may nat wedden two Atones / thogh ye fighten eueremo That oon of yow / al be hym looth / or lief He moot go pipen / in an yuy leef This is to seyn / she may nat now haue bothe Al be ye nevere so Ialous / ne so wrothe And for thy / I yow putte in this degree That ech of yow / shal haue his destynee As hym is shape / and herkneth in what wyse Lo here youre ende / of that I shal deuyse ¶ My wyl is this / for plat conclusion With outen any replicacion If that yow liketh / take it for the beste That euerich of yow / shal goon where hym leste ffrely / with outen raunson / or daunger And this day fifty wykes / fer ne neer Euerich of yow / shal brynge an hundred knyghtes Armed for listes / vp at alle rightes Al redy / to darreyne hire by bataille And this bihoote I yow / with outen faille Vp on my trouthe / and as I am a knyght That wheither of yow bothe / þat hath myght This is to seyn / þat wheither he or thou May with his hundred / as I spak of now Sleen his contrarie / or out of lystes dryue Thanne shal I yeue / Emelye to wyue To whom þat ffortune / yeueth so fair a grace The lystes / shal I maken in this place And god so wisly / on my soule rewe As I shal / euene Iuge been and trewe Ye shul noon oother ende / with me maken That oon of yow ne / shall be deed / or taken And if yow thynketh / this is well ysayd Sey youre auys / and holdeth yow apayd This is youre ende / and youre conclusion ¶ Who looketh lightly now / but Palamon Who spryngeth vp for ioye / but Arcite Who koude telle / or who koude it endite The ioye / that is maked in the place Whan Theseus / hath doon so fair a grace But doun on knees / wente euery maner wight And thonken hym / with al hir herte and myght And namely the Thebans ofte sythe And thus with good hope / and herte blythe They take hir leeue / and homward gonne they ryde To Thebes / with olde walles wydeExplicit prima pars Incipit pars secunda. I trowe / men wolde deme it necligence If I foryete / to tellen the despence Of Theseus / that gooth so bisily To maken vp the lystes / roially That swich a noble Theatre / as it was I dar wel seyn / in this world ther nas The circuit a myle was aboute Walled of stoon / and dyched al with oute Round was the shape / in manere of compas fful of degrees / the heighte of sixty paas That whan a man / was set on o degree He letted noght his felawe for to see ¶ Estward ther stood a gate / of Marbul whit Westward / right swich another / in the oposit And shortly to concluden / swich a place Was noon in erthe / as in so lite a space ffor in the lond / ther was no crafty man That Geometrye / or Ars metrik kan Ne purtreyour / ne keruere of ymages That Theseus / ne yaf mete and wages The Theatre / for to maken and deuyse And for to doon / his ryte and sacrifise He Estward hath / vp on the gate aboue In worship of venus / goddesse of loue Doon maad an Auter / and an oratorie And on the westward / in memorie Of Mars / he maked hath right swich another That coste largely / of gold a fother And Northward / in a touret on the wal Of Alabastre whit and reed Coral An oratorie / riche for to see In worshipe / of Diane of chastitee Hath Theseus / doon wroght in noble Wise ¶ But yet hadde I forgeten / to deuyse The noble keruyng / and the purtreitures The shape / the contenance / and the figures That weren / in thise oratories thre ¶ ffirst / in the temple of Venus / maystow se Wroght on the wal / ful pitous to biholde The broken slepes / and the sykes colde The sacred teerys / and the waymentynge The firy strokes / of the desirynge That loues seruantz / in this lyf enduren The othes / that hir couenantz assuren Plesance / and hope / desir / foolhardynesse Beautee and youthe / baudrye / richesse Charmes and force / lesynges / flaterye Despense / bisynesse / and Ialousye That wered / of yelowe gooldes a gerland And a Cokkow / sittyng on hir hand ffestes / Instrumentz / caroles / daunces Lust and array / and alle the circumstaunces Of loue / whiche þat I rekned / and rekne shal By ordre / weren peynted on the wal And mo than / I kan make of mencion ffor soothly / al the Mount of Citheron Ther Venus / hath hir principal dwellynge Was shewed on the wal / in purtreyynge With al the gardyn / and the lustynesse Nat was foryeten / the porter ydelnesse Ne Narcisus the faire / of yoore agon Ne yet / the folie / of kyng Salomon Ne yet the grete strengthe of Ercules Thenchantementz / of Medea and Circes Ne of Turnus / with the hardy fiers corage The ryche Cresus / caytif in seruage ¶ Thus may ye seen / þat wisdom ne richesse Beautee / ne sleighte / strengthe hardynesse Ne may with Venus / maken champartie ffor as hir lust the world than may she gye Lo all this folk / so caught were in hir laas Til they for wo / ful ofte seyde allas Suffiseth heere ensamples / oon or two And though / I koude rekne a thousand mo ¶ The statue of Venus / glorious for to seead vid Was naked / fletyng in the large See.i. mare And fro the nauele doun / al couered was With wawes grene / and brighte as any glas A Citole in hir right hand / hadde she And on hir heed / ful semely for to se A rose gerland / fressh / and wel smellynge Aboue hir heed / hir dowues flikerynge Biforn hire stood / hir sone Cupido Vp on his shuldres / wynges hadde he two And blynd he was / as it is ofte seene A bowe he bar / and Arwes brighte and keene ¶ Why sholde I nat as wel / eek telle yow al The purtreyture / þat was vp on the wal With Inne the temple / of myghty Mars the rede Al peynted was the wal / in lengthe and brede Lyk to the eestres / of the grisly place That highte the grete temple / of Mars in Trace In thilke colde / frosty Region Ther as Mars / hath his souereyn mansion ¶ ffirst on the wal / was peynted a fforest In which ther dwelleth / neither man ne best With knotty / knarry / bareyne trees olde Of stubbes sharpe / and hidouse to biholde In which / ther ran a rombul / in a swough As thogh a storm / sholde bresten euery bough And downward on an hil / vnder a bente Ther stood the temple / of Mars armypotente. Wroght al of burned steel / of which the entree Was long and streyt and gastly for to see And ther out cam a rage / and swich a veze.i. impetus That it made / al the gate for to rese The Northren light in at the dores shoon ffor wyndow on the wal / ne was ther noon Thurgh which men myghten / any light discerne The dore was al / of Athamant eterne Yclenched / ouerthwart and endelong/ With Iren togh / and for to make it strong Euery piler / the temple to sustene Was tonne greet of Iren bright and shene ¶ Ther say I first. the dirke ymagynynge Of felonye / and al the compassynge The cruel Ire / reed as any gleede The pike purs / and eek the pale drede The smylere / with the knyf vnder the cloke The shipne brennyng / with the blake smoke The treson / of the mordryng in the bed The open werre / with woundes al bibled Contek / with blody knyf and sharpe manace Al ful of chirkyng was that sory place ¶ The sleere of hym self / yet saugh I ther His herte blood / hath bathed al his heer The nayl ydryuen / in the shode a nyght The colde deeth / with mouth gapyng vp right Amyddes of the temple / sat meschaunce With disconfort and sory contenaunce ¶ Yet saugh I woodnesse / laughyng in his rage Armed compleynt out hees / and fiers outrage The caroyne in the bussh / with throte ycorue A thousand slayn / and noght of qualm ystorue The tiraunt with the praye / by force yraft The town destroyed / ther was no thyng laft ¶ Yet saugh I brent. the shippes hoppesteres The hunte strangled / with the wilde beres The sowe freten the child / right in the Cradel The Cook yscalded / for al his longe ladel ¶ Naught was forgeten / by the Infortune of Marte The Cartere / ouer ryden / with his Carte Vnder the wheel / ful lowe he lay adown Ther were also / of Martes deuysioun The Barbour / and the Bochier and the Smyth That forgeth sharpe swerdes / on his styth ¶ And al aboue / depeynted in a tour Saugh I Conquest sittyng in greet honour With the sharpe swerd / ouer his heed Hangynge / by a subtil twynes threed ¶ Depeynted was / the slaghtre of Iulius Of grete Nero / and of Anthonius Al be / þat thilke tyme / they were vnborn Yet was hir deeth / depeynted ther biforn By manacynge of Mars / right by figure So was it shewed / in that purtreyture As is depeynted / in the Sertres aboue Who shal be slayn / or ellis deed for loue Suffiseth oon ensample / in stories olde I may nat rekne hem alle / thogh I wolde ¶ The Statue of Mars / vp on a Carte stood Armed / and loked grym / as he were wood And ouer his heed / ther shynen two figures Of sterres / þat been clepyd in Scriptures That oon Puella / that oother Rubeus This god of armes / was arrayed thus A wolf ther stood / bifore hym at his feet With eyen rede / and of a man he eet With subtil pencel / was depeynted this storie In redoutynge of Mars / and of his glorie ¶ Now to the temple / of Diane the chaste As shortly as I kan / I wol me haste To telle yow / al the discripsioun Depeynted been the walles / vp and doun Of huntyng and of shamefast chastitee Ther saw .I. / how woful Calistopee Whan þat Diane / agreued was with here Was turned / fro a womman / til a Bere And after was she maad / the lode sterre// Vrsa maior Thus was it peynted / I kan seye yow no ferre Hir sone is eek a sterre / as men may see Ther saw I Dane / yturned to a tree I mene nat / the goddesse diane But Penneus doghter / which þat highte Dane ¶ Ther saw I Attheon / an hert ymaked ffor vengeaunce / þat he saw Diane al naked I seigh / how þat hise houndes haue hym caught And freten hym / for þat they knewe hym naught ¶ Yet peynted was / a litel ferther moor How Atthalante / hunted the wilde boor And Meleagree / and many another mo ffor which Diane / wroghte hym care and wo Ther saw .I. many another wonder storie The whiche / me list nat drawen to memorie ¶ This goddesse on hert ful hye seet With smale houndes / al aboute hir feet And vnder nethe hir feet. she hadde a moone Wexinge it was / and sholde wanye soone In gaude grene / hir statue yclothed was With bowe in honde / and arwes in a cas Hir eyen caste she / ful lowe adown Ther Pluto / hath his dirke Regioun A womman trauailyng was hir biforn But for hir child / so longe was unborn fful pitously / lucina gan she calle And seyde help / for thow mayst best of alle Wel koude he peynte lyfly / that it wroghte With many a floryn / he the hewes boghte ¶ Now been thise listes maad / and Theseus That at his grete cost arrayed thus The temples / and the Theatre euery del Whan it was doon / hym liked wonder wel But stynte I wole / of Theseus alite And speke of Palamon / and of Arcite ¶ The day approcheth / of hir retournynge That euerich / sholde an hundred knyghtes brynge The bataille to darreyne / as I yow tolde And til Atthenes / hir couenant for to holde Hath euerich of hem / broght a hundred knyghtes Wel armed for the werre / at alle rightes And sikerly / ther trowed many a man That neuere sithen / þat the world bigan As for to speke / of knyghthod of hir hond As fer / as god hath maked see and lond Nas of so fewe / so noble a compaignye ffor euery wight þat loued chiualrye And wolde his thankes / han a passant name Hath prayd / that he myghte been of that game And wel was hym / þat ther to chosen was ffor if ther fille / tomorwe swich a cas Ye knowen wel / þat euery lusty knyght/ That loueth paramours / and hath his myght Were it in Engelond / or ellis where They wolde hir thankes / wilnen to be there To fighten for a lady / benedicitee It were a lusty sighte / for to see ¶ And right so / ferden they with Palamon With hym ther wenten / knyghtes many oon Som wol ben armed / in an haubergeon And in a Brestplate / and in a light gypon And som wol haue / a piere plates large And som wol haue / a Pruce sheeld / or a targe Som wol been armed / on his legges weel And haue an Ax / and som a Maas of steel Ther nys no newe gyse / þat it nas oold Armed were they / as I haue yow toold Euerich / after his opinyon ¶ Ther maystow seen / comynge with Palamon Lygurge hym self the grete kyng of Trace Blak was his beerd / and manly was his face The cercles of his eyen / in his heed They gloweden / bitwixen yelow and reed And lyk a griffon / loked he aboute With keempe herys / on his browes stoute His lymes grete / his brawnes / harde and stronge Hys shuldres brode / hise armes rounde and longe And as the gyse was / in his contree fful hye / vp on a Chaar of gold stood he With foure white Boles / in the trays In stide of Cotearmure / ouer his harnays With nayles yelwe / and brighte as any gold He hadde a Berys Skyn / colblak / for old His longe heer / was kembed bihynde his bak As any Rauenes fetthere / it shoon for blak A wrethe of gold / greet of huge wighte Vp on his heed / and ful of stones brighte Of fyne Rubyes / and of dyamauntz Aboute his Chaar / they wente white Alauntz Twenty and mo / as grete as any Steer To hunten at the leon / and the deer And folwed hym / with mosel faste ybounde Colered of gold / and turrettes filed rounde An hundred lordes / hadde he in his route Armed ful wel / with hertes stierne and stoute ¶ With Arcita / in stories as men fynde The grete Emetrius / the kyng of Inde Vp on a Steede bay / trapped in steel Couered in a clooth of gold / dyapred weel Cam ridynge / lyk the god of Armes Mars His cote armure / was of clooth of Tars Couched with perlys white / and rounde and grete His sadel was / of brend gold newe ybete A Mantelet vp on his shulder hangynge Bretful of Rubies reede / as fyr sparklynge His crispe heer / lyk rynges was yronne And that was yelow / and glitred as the sonne His nose was heigh / hise eyen bright Citryn His lyppes rounde / his colour was sangwyn A fewe fraknes / in his face yspreynd Bitwixen yelow / and som del blak ymeynd And as a leon / he his lookyng caste Of .xxv. yeer / his age I caste His beerd / was wel bigonne for to sprynge His voys / was as a trompe thonderynge Vp on his heed / he wered of laurer grene A gerland fressh / and lusty for to seene Vp on his hand / he bar for his deduyt An Egle tame / as any lilie whyt An hundred lordes / hadde he with hym there Al armed saue hir heddes / in al hir gere fful richely / in alle manere thynges ffor trusteth wel / þat dukes / Erles / kynges Were gadred / in this noble compaignye ffor loue / and for encrees of chiualrye Aboute this kyng ther ran on euery part fful many a tame leon and leopart ¶ And in this wise / thise lordes alle and some Been on the Sonday / to the Citee come Aboute pryme / and in the town alight ¶ This Theseus / this duc this worthy knyght Whan he hadde broght hem / in to his Citee And Inned hem / euerich at his degree He festeth hem / and dooth so gret labour To esen hem / and doon hem al honour That yet men wenen / þat no mannes wit Of noon estaat ne koude amenden it/ ¶ The Mynstralcye / the seruyce / at the feeste The grete yiftes / to the meeste and leeste The ryche array / of Theseus Paleys Ne who sat first or last vp on the deys What ladyes fairest been / and best daunsynge Or which of hem / kan daunse best and synge Ne who moost feelyngly / speketh of loue What haukes sitten / on the perche aboue What houndes lyggen / on the floor adown Of al this / make I now no mencioun But al theffect that thynketh me the beste Now comth the point and herkneth if yow leste ¶ The Sonday nyght er day bigan to sprynge Whan Palamon / the larke herde synge Al thogh it nere nat day / by houres two Yet soong the larke / and Palamon right tho With holy herte / and with an heigh corage He roos / to wenden on his pilgrymage Vn to the blisful / Scitherea benygne I mene Venus / honurable and digne And in hir hour / he walketh forth a paas Vn to the lystes / ther hir temple was And down he kneleth / and with humble cheere And herte soor / he seyde as ye shal heere ¶ ffaireste of faire / o lady myn Venus Doghter of Ioue / and spouse to Vulcanus Thow gladere / of the mount of Cytheron ffor thilke loue / thow haddest to Adoon Haue pitee / of my bittre teerys smerte And taak myn humble prayere at thyn herte ¶ Allas I ne haue no langage to telle Theffecte. ne the tormentz of myn helle Myn herte / may myne harmes nat biwreye I am so confus / þat I kan noght seye But mercy lady bright þat knowest wele My thoght and seest what harmes þat I feele Considre al this / and rewe vp on my soore As wisly / as I shal for euere moore Emforth my myght thy trewe seruant be And holden werre / alwey with chastitee That make I myn avow / so ye me helpe I kepe noght of armes for to yelpe Ne I ne axe noght / tomorwe / to haue victorie Ne renoun in this cas / ne veyne glorie Of prys of armes / blowen vp and down But I wolde haue / fully possessioun Of Emelye / and dye in thy seruyse ffynd thow the manere / how / and in what wyse I recche nat but it may bettre be To haue victorie of hem / or they of me So þat I haue / my lady in myn armes ffor thogh so be / þat Mars is god of armes Youre vertu is so greet in heuene aboue That if yow list I shal wel haue my loue ¶ Thy temple / wol I worshipe euere mo And on thyn Auter / wher I ryde or go I wol doon sacrifice / and fyres beete And if ye wol noght so / my lady sweete Thanne praye I thee / to morwe with a spere That Arcita / me thurgh the herte bere Thanne rekke I noght whan I haue lost my lyf Thogh þat Arcita / wynne hire to his wyf This is theffect and ende of my prayere Yif me my loue / thow blisful lady deere ¶ Whan the orison was doon / of Palamon His sacrifice he dide / and that anon fful pitously / with alle circumstances Al telle I nat as now / his obseruances But at the laste / the Statue of Venus shook And made a signe / wher by þat he took That his prayere / accepted was that day ffor thogh the signe / shewed a delay Yet wiste he wel / þat graunted was his boone And with glad herte / he wente hym hoom ful soone ¶ The thridde hour in equal / þat Palamon Bigan / to Venus temple / for to gon Vp roos the soone / and vp roos Emelye And to the temple of Diane / gan hye Hir maydens / þat she thider with hire ladde fful redily with hem / the fyr they hadde Thencens / the clothes / and the remenant al That to the sacrifice / longen shal The hornes ful of Mede / as was the gyse Ther lakked noght to doon hir sacrifise ¶ Smokynge the temple / ful of clothes faire This Emelye / with herte debonaire Hir body wessh / with water of a welle But hou she dide hir ryte / I dar nat telle But it be / any thyng in general And yet it were a game / to heren al To hym þat meneth wel / it nere no charge But it is good / a man be at his large ¶ Hir brighte heer was kembed / vntressed al A corone / of a grene ook cerial Vp on hir heed was set ful fair and meete Two fyres / on the Auter gan she beete And dide hir thynges / as men may biholde In Stace of Thebes / and othere bokes olde Whan kyndled was the fyr / with pitous cheere Vn to Diane / she spak / as ye may heere ¶ O chaste goddesse / of the wodes grene To whom / bothe heuene / and erthe / and See.i. mare is seene Queene of the regne of Pluto / derk and lowe Goddesse of maydenes / þat myn herte hast knowe fful many a yeer / and woost what I desire As keepe me / fro thy vengeance and thyn Ire That Attheon / aboghte crewelly Chaste goddesse / wel wostow þat I Desire / to been a mayden / al my lyf Ne neuere wol I be / no loue / ne wyf I am thow woost yet of thy compaignye A mayde / and loue huntyng and venerye And for to walken / in the wodes wilde And noght to been a wyf / and be with childe Noght wol I knowe / compaignye of man Now help me lady / sith ye may and kan ffor tho thre formes / þat thow hast in thee And Palamon / þat hath swich loue to me And eek Arcite / þat loueth me so soore This grace I praye thee / with oute moore As seend[e] loue and pees / bitwix hem two And fro me / turn awey / hir hertes so That al hir hote loue / and hir desir And al hir bisy torment and hir fyr Be queynt and turned in another place And if so be / thow wolt noght do me grace Or if my destynee / be shape so That I shal nedes / haue oon of hem two As seend me hym / þat moost desireth me Bihoold goddesse / of clene chastitee The bittre teerys / þat on my chekes falle Syn thow art mayde / and kepere of vs alle My maydenhode thow kepe / and wel conserue And whil I lyue / a mayde I wol thee serue ¶ The fyres brenne / vp on the Auter cleere Whil Emelie / is thus in hir prayere But sodeynly / she seigh a sighte queynte ffor right anon / oon of the fyres queynte And quyked agayn / and after that anon That oother fyr was queynt and al agon And as it queynte / it made a whistlynge As doon thise weete brondes / in hir brennynge And at the brondes ende / out ran anoon As it were / blody dropes many oon ffor which / so soore agast was Emelye That she was wel neigh mad / and gan to crye ffor she ne wiste / what it signyfied But oonly for the feere / thus hath she cryed And weepe / þat it was pitee for to heere ¶ And ther with al / Diane gan appeere With bowe in honde / right as an hunteresse And seyde doghter / stynt thyn heuynesse Among the goddes hye / it is affermed And by eterne word / writen and confermed Thou shalt be wedded / vn to oon of tho That han for thee / so muche care and wo But vn to which of hem / I may noght telle ffare wel / for I ne may no lenger dwelle The fires / which þat on myn Auter brenne Shul thee declaren / er þat thow go henne Thyn auenture of loue / as in this cas And with that word / the Arwes in the Caas Of the goddesse / clateren faste and rynge And forth she wente / and made a vanysshynge ffor which / this Emelye astoned was And seyde / what amounteth this allas I putte me / in thy proteccion Diane / and in thy disposicion And hoom she gooth anoon / the nexte weye This is theffect ther nys namoore to seye ¶ The nexte houre of Mars / folwynge this Arcite / vn to the temple walked is Of fierse Mars / to doon his sacrifise With alle the rytes / of his payen wise With pitous herte / and heigh deuocion Right thus to Mars / he seyde his orison ¶ O stronge god / þat in the regnes colde Of Trace / honoured art and lord yholde And hast in euery regne / and euery lond Of armes / al the brydel in thyn hond And hem fortunest as thee list deuyse Accepte of me / my pitous sacrifise If so be / þat my youthe may disserue And þat my myght be worthy for to serue Thy godhede / þat I may be oon of thyne Thanne praye I thee / to rewe vp on my pyne ffor thilke peyne / and thilke hote fyr In which / thow whilom brendest for desir Whan þat thow vsedest the beautee Of faire yonge / fresshe Venus free And haddest hire in armes at thy wille Al though thee ones / on a tyme mysfille Whan Vulcanus / hadde caught thee in his laas And foond thee lyggyng by his wyf allas ffor thilke sorwe / þat was in thyn herte Haue routhe as wel / vp on my peynes smerte I am yong / and vnkonnyng as thow woost/ And as I trowe / with loue offended moost That euere was / any lyues creature ffor she þat dooth me / al this wo endure Ne reccheth neuere / wher I synke or fleete And wel I woot er she me mercy heete I moot with strengthe / wynne hire in the place And wel I woot with outen help and grace Of thee / ne may my strengthe noght auaille Thanne help me lord / tomorwe in my bataille ffor thilke fyr / þat whilom brende thee As wel as thilke fyr / now brenneth me And do þat I tomorwe / may haue victorie Myn be the trauaille / and thyn be the glorie Thy souereyn temple / wol I moost honouren Of any place / and alwey moost labouren In thy plesaunce / and in thy craftes stronge And in thy temple / I wol my baner honge And alle the armes / of my compaignye And euere mo / vn til þat day I dye Eterne fyr / I wol bifore thee fynde And eek to this auow / I wol me bynde My berd / myn heer / þat hangeth long adown That neuere yet ne felte offensioun Of Rasour / nor of Shere / I wol thee yiue And been thy trewe seruant whil I lyue Now lord haue routhe / vp on my sorwes soore Yif me the victorie / I axe thee namoore ¶ The prayere stynt of Arcita the stronge The rynges / on the temple dore þat honge And eek the dores / clatereden ful faste Of which Arcita / som what hym agaste The fires brende / vp on the Auter brighte That it gan al the temple for to lighte A swete smel / anoon the ground vp yaf And Arcita / anoon his hand vp haf And moore encens / in to the fyr he caste With othere rytes mo / and at the laste ¶ The statue of Mars / bigan his hauberk rynge And with that sown / he herde a murmurynge fful lowe and dym / and seyde thus / Victorie ffor which / he yaf to Mars / honour and glorie ¶ And thus with ioye / and hope / wel to fare Arcite anoon / vn to his In is fare As fayn as fowel / is of the brighte sonne ¶ And right anoon / swich stryf ther is bigonne ffor thilke grauntyng in the heuene aboue Bitwixe Venus / the goddesse of loue And Mars / the sterne god armipotente That Iuppiter / was bisy it to stente Til þat the pale / Saturnus the colde That knew so manye / of auentures olde ffoond in his olde experience / an art That he ful soone / hath plesed euery part As sooth is seyd / elde hath greet auantage In elde / is bothe wisdom and vsage Men may the olde atrenne and nat atrede Saturne anoon / to stynten stryf and drede Al be it / þat it is agayn his kynde Of al this stryf he kan remedie fynde ¶ My deere doghter Venus / quod Saturne My cours / that hath so wyde for to turne Hath moore power / than woot any man Myn is the drenchyng in the See so wan Myn is the prison / in the derke cote Myn is the stranglyng and hangyng by the throte The murmur / and the cherles rebellynge The groynyng and the pryuee empoysonynge I do vengeance / and pleyn correccion Whil I dwelle / in the signe of the leon Myn is the ruyne / of the heighe halles The fallyng of the toures / and of the walles Vp on the Mynour / or the Carpenter I slow Sampson / shakyng the piler And myne be / the maladies colde The derke tresons / and the castes olde My lookyng is the fader of pestilence Now weep namoore / I shal doon diligence That Palamon / that is thyn owene knyght Shal haue his lady / as thow hast hym hight Thogh Mars shal helpe his knyght yet nathelees Bitwixe yow / ther moot be som tyme pees Al be ye noght of o complexion That causeth al day / swich diuision I am thyn Aiel / redy at thy wille Weepe now namoore / I wol thy lust fulfille ¶ Now wol I stynten / of the goddes aboue Of Mars / and of Venus / goddesse of loue And telle yow / as pleynly as I kan The grete effect . for which þat I bigan[No gap in the MS.] ¶ Greet was the feeste / in Atthenes that day And eek the lusty seson / of that May Made euery wight to been in swich plesaunce That al that monday / Iusten they and daunce And spenden it in Venus heigh seruyse And by the cause / þat they sholde ryse Erly / for to seen the grete sight Vn to hir reste / wente they at nyght And on the morwe / whan the day gan sprynge Of hors and harneys / noyse and claterynge Ther was in hostelryes / al aboute And to the paleys / rood ther many a route Of lordes / vp on steedes and palfreys Ther maistow seen / deuysynge of harneys So vnkouth / and so ryche / and wroght so weel Of Goldsmythrye / of Broudyng and of steel The sheldes brighte / testers / and trappures Goldhewen helmes / hauberkes / cote armures Lordes in parementz / on hir coursers Knyghtes of retenue / and eek Squyers Nailynge the speres / and the helmes bokelynge Gyggynge of sheeldes / with layners lasynge Ther as nede is / they were no thyng ydel The fomy steedes / on the golden brydel Gnawynge / and faste the Armurers also With fyle and hamer / prykyng to and fro Yemen on foote / and communes many oon With shorte staues / thikke as they may goon Pipes / trompes / Nakers / Claryounes That in the bataille / blowen blody sownes The paleys ful of peples / vp and down Heer thre / ther ten / holdynge hir questioun Deuynynge / of thise Thebans knyghtes two Somme seyde thus / somme seyden it shal be so Somme helden with hym / with the blake berd Somme with the balled / somme with the thikke herd Somme seyde / he looked grym / and he wolde fighte He hath a Sparth / of .xx. pound of wighte Thus was the halle / ful of deuynynge Longe after / þat the sonne gan to sprynge ¶ The grete Theseus / þat of his sleepe awaked With mynstralcye / and noyse þat was maked Held yet the chambres / of his paleys ryche Til þat the Theban knyghtes / bothe yliche Honoured /. weren in to the paleys fet ¶ Duc Theseus / is at a wyndow set Arrayed / right as he weere a god in Trone The peple preeseth / thiderward ful soone Hym for to seen / and doon heigh reuerence And eek / to herkne his heste / and his sentence ¶ An heraud on a Scaffold / made an .oo. Til al the noyse / of the peple was ydo And whan he say the peple / of noyse al stille Thus shewed he / the myghty dukes wille ¶ The lord hath / of his heighe discrecion Considred / þat it were destruccion To gentil blood / to fighten in the gyse Of mortal bataille / now in this emprise Wher fore / to shapen / þat they shal noght dye He wole / his firste purpos modifie ¶ No man ther fore / vp on peyne / of los of lyf No manere shot ne polax / ne short knyf In to the lystes sende / or thider brynge Ne short swerd for to stoke / with point bitynge No man ne drawe / ne bere it by his syde Ne no man / shal vn to his felawe ryde But o cours / with a sharp ygrounde spere ffoyne if hym list on foote / hym self to were And he þat is at meschief / shal be take And noght slayn / but be broght vn to the stake That shal been ordeyned / on eyther syde But thider he shal bi force / and ther abyde And if so falle / the Chiefteyn be take On outher syde / or ellis sleen his make No lenger / shal the tourneying laste God spede yow / go forth and ley on faste With long swerd / and with mace / fighteth your fille Go now youre wey / this is the lordes wille ¶ The voys of peple / touched the heuene So loude cryde they / with loude steuene God saue swich a lord / that is so good He wilneth / no destruccion of blood ¶ Vp goon the trompes / and the melodye And to the lystes / ryt the compaignye By ordinance / thurgh out the Citee large Hanged with clooth of gold / and noght with sarge ¶ fful lyk a lord / this noble duc gan ryde Thise two Thebans / vp on eyther syde And after rood the queene / and Emelye And after that another compaignye Of oon and oother / after hire degree And thus they passen / thurgh out the Citee And to the lystes / coome they bityme It nas nat of the day / yet fully pryme ¶ Whan set was Theseus / ful ryche and hye Ypolita the queene / and Emelye And othere ladyes / in degrees aboute Vn to the setes / preeseth al the route And westward / thrugh the gates vnder Marte.i. sub Marte Arcite / and eek the hundred of his parte With baner reed / is entred right anon ¶ And in that selus moment Palamon Is vnder Venus / Estward in the place With baner whit / and hardy cheere and face In al the world / to seken vp and down So euene / with outen variacioun Ther nere / swiche compaignyes tweye ffor ther was noon so wys / þat koude seye That any hadde / of oother auantage Of worthynesse / ne of estaat ne age So euene / were they chosen for to gesse And in two renges / faire they hem dresse ¶ Whan þat hir names / rad were euerichon That in hir nombre / gyle were ther noon Tho were the gates shet and cryd was loude Do now youre deuoir / yonge knyghtes proude ¶ The heraudes / lefte hir prikyng vp and down Now ryngen trompes loude / and Clarioun Ther is namoore to seyn / but west and Est In goon the speres / ful sadly in the arest In gooth the sharpe spore / in to the syde Ther seen men / who kan Iuste / and who kan ryde Ther shyueren shaftes / vp on sheeldes thikke He feeleth / thurgh the herte spoon the prykke Vp spryngeth speres / twenty foot on highte Out goon the swerdes / as the siluer brighte The helmes they tohewen / and to-shrede Out brest the blood / with sterne stremys rede With myghty maces / the bones they tobreste He thurgh the thikkest of the throng gan threste Ther stomblen steedes stronge / and doun gooth al He rolleth vnder foot as dooth a bal He foyneth on his feet with his tronchoun And he hym hurteth / with his hors adoun He thurgh the body is hurt and sithen ytake Maugree his heed / and broght vn to the Stake As forward was / right there he moste abyde Another / lad is on that oother syde ¶ And som tyme / dooth hem Theseus to reste Hem to refresshe / and drynken if hem leste fful ofte a-day / haue thise Thebans two Togydre ymet and wroght his felawe wo Vnhorsed hath ech oother / of hem tweye Ther nas no tygre / in the vale of Galgopheye Whan þat hir whelp is stole / whan it is lyte So cruel on the hunte / as is Arcite ffor Ialous herte / vp on this Palamon Ne in Belmarye / ther nys so fel leon That hunted is / or for his hunger wood Ne of his praye / desireth so the blood As Palamon / to sleen his foo Arcite The Ialous strokes / on hir helmes byte Out renneth blood / on bothe hir sydes rede ¶ Som tyme an ende ther is / of euery dede ffor er the sonne / vn to the reste wente The stronge kyng Emetrius / gan hente This Palamon / as he faught with Arcite And made his swerd / depe in his flessh to byte And by the force of twenty / is he take Vnyolden / and ydrawen to the stake And in the rescous / of this Palamon The stronge kyng lygurge / is born adoun And kyng Emetrius / for al his strengthe Is born out of his sadel / a swerdes lengthe So hitte hym Palamon / er he were take But al for noght he was broght to the stake His hardy herte / myghte hym helpe naught He moste abyde / whan þat he was caught By force / and eek by composicion ¶ Who sorweth now / but woful Palamon That moot namoore / goon agayn to fighte And whan þat Theseus / hadde seen this sighte Vn to the folk / that foghten thus echon He cryde / hoo namoore / for it is doon I wol be trewe Iuge / and nat partye Arcite of Thebes / shal haue Emelye That by his fortune / hath hire faire ywonne Anon ther is a noyse of peple bigonne ffor ioye of this / so loude and heigh with alle It semed / þat the lystes sholde falle ¶ What kan now faire Venus / doon aboue What seith she now / what dooth this queene of loue But wepeth so / for wantyng of hir wille Til þat hir teerys / in the lystes fille She seyde / I am ashamed doutelees ¶ Saturnus seyde / doghter hoold thy pees Mars hath his wyl / his knyght hath al his boone And by myn heed / thow shalt been esed soone ¶ The trompours / with the loude Mynstralcye The heraudes / þat ful loude yelle and crye Been in hir wele / for ioye of daun Arcite But herkneth me / and stynteth noyse a lite Which a myracle / ther bifel anon ¶ This fierse Arcite / hath of his helm ydon And on a Courser / for to shewe his face He priketh / endelong the large place Lookyng vpward / vp on this Emelye And she agayn / hym caste a freendly eye . . . . . . . . . .no gap in the MS. And she was al his cheere / as in his herte Out of the ground / a furye Infernal sterte ffrom Pluto sent at requeste of Saturne ffor which his hors / for feere gan to turne And leep asyde / and foundred as he leepe And er þat Arcite / may taken keepe He pighte hym / on the pomel of his heed That in the place / he lay as he were deed His brest to brosten / with his Sadel bowe As blak he lay / as any col / or crowe So was the blood / yronnen in his face Anon he was yborn out of the place With herte soor / to Theseus Paleys Tho was he coruen / out of his harneys And in a bed ybroght ful faire and blyue ffor he was yet in memorie and alyue And alwey cryinge / after Emelye ¶ Duc Theseus / with al his compaignye Is comen hoom / to Atthenes his Citee With alle blisse / and greet solempnytee Al be it þat this auenture was falle He nolde noght disconforten hem alle ¶ Men seyde eek Arcite / shal nat dye He shal been heelyd / of his maladye And of another thyng / they were as fayn That of hem alle / was ther noon yslayn Al were they soore yhurt and namely oon That with a Spere / was thirled the brest boon ¶ To oothere woundes / and to broken armes Somme hadden salues / and somme hadden charmes ffermacyes of herbes and eek saue They dronken / for they wolde hir lymes haue ffor which this noble duc / as he wel kan Conforteth / and honoureth euery man And made reuel / al the longe nyght Vn to the straunge lordes / as was right ¶ Ne ther was holden to disconfitynge But as a Iustes / or a tourneyinge ffor soothly / there was no disconfiture ffor fallyng . nys nat but an auenture Ne to been had by force vn to the stake Vnyolden / and with twenty knyghtes take A persone allone / with outen mo And haryed forth / by arm / foot / and to And eek his steede / dryuen forth with staues With footmen / bothe yemen and eek knaues It nas arretted hym / no vileynye Ther may no man / clepe it cowardye ¶ ffor which anoon / Duc Theseus leet crye To stynten / al rancour and enuye The gre / as wel of oo syde as of oother And eyther syde ylyk as otheres brother And yaf hem yiftes / after hir degree And fully heeld a feeste / dayes three And conueyed / the kynges worthily Out of his toun / a iournee largely And hoom wente euery man / the righte way Ther was namoore / but fare wel haue good day Of this bataille / I wol namoore endite But speke of Palamon / and of Arcite[A break in the MS. with]¶ Explicit secunda pars ¶ Incipit pars tercia & vltima Swelleth the brest of Arcite / and the soore Encreese that his herte / moore and moore The clothered blood / for any lechecraft Corrupteth / and is in his bouk / ylaft That neyther veyne blood / ne ventusynge Ne drynke of herbes / may been his helpynge The vertu expulsyf / or animal ffro thilke vertu / clepyd natural Ne may the venym / voyden ne expelle The pipes of his longes / gan to swelle And euery lacerte / in his brest adown Is shent with venym and corrupcioun Hym gayneth neither / for to gete his lyf Vomyt vpward / ne downward laxatyf Al is to brosten / thilke regioun Nature / hath no dominacioun And certeinly / ther nature wol nat werche ffare wel Phisyk . go ber the man to cherche This al and som / þat Arcita moot dye ffor which / he sendeth after Emelye And Palamon / þat was his cosyn deere Thanne seyde he thus / as ye shal after heere ¶ Nat may the woful spirit in myn herte Declare a point of alle my sorwes smerte To yow my lady / þat I loue moost But I byquethe / the seruice of my goost To yow / abouen euery creature Syn þat my lyf / may no lenger dure Allas the wo / allas the peynes stronge That I for yow haue suffred / and so longe Allas the deeth / allas myn Emelye Allas / departyng of oure compaignye Allas myn hertes queene / allas my wif Myn hertes lady / endere of my lyf What is this world / what axeth men to haue Now with his loue / now in his colde graue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .no gap in the MS. ¶ I haue heer / with my cosyn Palamon Had stryf and rancour / many a day gon ffor loue of yow / and for my Ialousye And Iuppiter / so wys my soule gye To speken / of a seruaunt proprely With circumstaunces alle / trewely That is to seyn / trouthe / honour / knyghthede Wisdom / humblesse / estaat / and heigh kynrede ffredom / and al / that longeth to that art So Iuppiter / haue of my soule part As in this world / right now ne knowe I non So worthy to been loued / as Palamon That serueth yow / and wol doon al his lyf And if þat euere / ye shal been a wyf fforyet nat Palamon / the gentil man And with that word / his speche faille gan ffor from his feet vp to his brest was come The coold of deeth / þat hadde hym ouercome And yet moore ouer / for in his armes two The vital strengthe / is lost and al ago Oonly the Intellect with oute moore That dwelled in his herte / syk and soore Gan faillen / whan the herte felte deeth Dusked hise eyen two / and fayled breeth But on his lady / yet caste he his eye His laste word / was mercy Emelye His spirit chaunged hous / and wente ther As I cam neuere / I kan nat tellen wher Therfore I stynte / I nam no dyuynystre Of soules / fynde I nat in this Registre Ne me ne lyst thilke opynyons to telle Of hem / thogh þat they writen wher they dwelle Arcite is coold / ther Mars his soule gye Now wol I speken / forth of Emelye ¶ Shrighte Emelye / and howleth Palamon And Theseus / his suster took anon Swownynge / and baar hire fro the corps away What helpeth it to tarien forth the day To tellen how she weepe / bothe eue and morwe ffor in swich caas / wommen haue swich sorwe Whan þat hir housbondes / been from hem ago That for the moore part they sorwen so Or ellis fallen / in swich a maladye That at the laste / certeinly they dye ¶ Infinite / been the sorwes and the teerys Of olde folk . and folk of tendre yeerys In all the town for the deeth of this Theban ffor hym ther wepeth bothe child a[nd] man So greet wepyng was ther noon certayn Whan Ector was broght al fressh yslayn To Troye / allas the pitee þat was ther Cracchynge of chekes / rentyng eek of heer Why woldestow be deed / thise wommen crye And haddest gold ynow / and Emelye ¶ No man / myghte gladen Theseus Sauyng his olde fader Egeus That knew / this worldes transmutacioun As he hadde seyn it chaungen / bothe vp and down Ioye after wo / and wo after gladnesse And shewed hem / ensample and lyknesse ¶ Right as ther deyed neuere man / quod heArgumentum. That he ne lyued in erthe / in som degree Right so / ther lyued neuere man he seyde In al this world / þat som tyme he ne deyde This world nys but a thurghfare / ful of wo And we been pilgrymes / passynge to and fro Deeth is an ende / of euery worldly soore And ouer al this / yet seyde he muchel moore To this effect ful wysly / to enhorte The peple / that they sholde hem reconforte ¶ Duc Theseus / with al his bisy cure Caste now / wher that the sepulture Of goode Arcite / may best ymaked be And eek moost honurable / in his degree And at the laste / he took conclusion That ther / as first Arcite and Palamon Hadden for loue / the bataille hem bitwene That in the selue groue / swoote and grene Ther as he hadde / hise amorouse desires His compleinte / and for loue his hote fyres He wolde make a fyr / in which the office ffuneral / he myghte al acomplice And leet anoon comaunde / to hakke and hewe The okes olde / and leyen hem on a rewe In colpons / wel arrayed for to brenne Hise officers / with swifte feet they renne And ryde anoon / at his comandement And after this / Theseus hath ysent After a Beere / and it al ouerspradde With clooth of gold / the richeste þat he hadde And of the same suyte / he cladde Arcite Vp on his handes / his gloues white Eek on his heed / a coroune of laurer greene And in his hand / a swerd ful bright and keene He leyde hym bare the visage / on the beere Ther with he weepe / þat pitee was to heere And for the peple / sholde seen hym alle Whan it was day / he broghte hym to the halle That roreth / of the cryyng and the sown Tho cam / this woful Theban Palamon With flotry berd / and ruggy asshy heerys In clothes blake / ydropped al with teerys And passyng othere / of wepyng Emelye The rufulleste / of al the compaignye In as muche / as the seruyce sholde be The moore noble / and ryche in his degree Duc Theseus / leet forth thre steedes brynge That trapped weren in steel al gliterynge And couered with the armes / of daun Arcite Vp on thise steedes / grete and whyte Ther seten folk / of which oon baar his sheeld Another his spere / vp on his hondes heeld The thridde bar with hym / his bowe Turkeys Of brend gold / was the caas / and eek the harneys And ryden forth a paas / with sorweful cheere Toward the groue / as ye shul after heere The nobleste of the Grekys / þat ther were Vp on hir shuldres / carieden the beere With slak[e] paas / and eyen rede and weete Thurgh out the Citee / by the maister streete That sprad was al with blak and wonder hye Right of the same / is the strete ywrye Vp on the right hand / wente olde Egeus And on that oother syde / Duc Theseus With vessels in hir hand / of gold ful fyn As ful of hony / melk / and blood and wyn Eek Palamon / with ful greet compaignye And after that / cam woful Emelye With fyr in hande / as was that tyme the gyse To do the office / of funeral seruyse ¶ Heigh labour / and greet apparaillynge Was at the seruyce / and the fyr makynge That with his grene tope / the heuene raughte And twenty fadme of brede / the armes straughte This is to seyn / the bowes / were so brode Of stree first ther was leyd many a lode But how the fyr was maked vp on highte Ne eek the names / how the trees highte As ook / ffyrre / Birch / Asp / Alder / holm / popler Wylow / Elm / Plane / Assh / Box / Chestayn / lynde / laurer Mapul / Thorn / Beech / hasyl / Ew / Whippultree How they were feld / shal nat been told for me Ne how the goddes / ronnen vp and doun Desherited / of hir habitacioun In which they woneden / in reste and pees Nymphes / ffawnes / and Amadrides Ne how the beestes / and the bryddes alle ffledden / for fered / whan the wode was falle Ne how the ground / agast was of the lyght That was nat wont to seen the sonne bright Ne how the fyr / was couched first with stree And thanne with drye stikkes / clouen a three And thanne with grene wode / and spicerye And thanne with clooth of gold / and with perrye And gerlandes hangynge / ful of many a flour The Mirre / thencens / with al so greet sauour Ne how Arcite / lay among al this Ne what richesse / aboute the body is Ne how that Emelye / as was the gyse Putte in the fyr / of funeral seruyse Ne how she swowned / whan men made the fyr Ne what she spak ne what was hir desir Ne what Iuels / men in the fyr caste Whan þat the fyr was greet and brente faste Ne how somme caste hir sheeld / and somme hir spere And of hir vestimentz / whiche þat they were And coppes fulle of Milk / and wyn and blood In to the fyr / þat brente as it were wood Ne how the Grekys / with An huge route Thries ryden / al the fyr aboute Vp on the left hand / with a loud shoutynge And thries / with hir speres claterynge And thries / how the ladyes gonne crye And how þat lad / was homward Emelye Ne how Arcite / is brent to Asshen colde Ne how that lychwake / was yholde Al thilke nyght ne how the grekys pleye The wake pleyes / ne kepe I noght to seye Who wrastleth best naked / with oille enoynt Ne who þat baar hym best in no disioynt I wol nat tellen al / how [that] they goon Hoom til Atthenes / whan the pleye is doon But shortly to the poynt than wol I wende And maken / of my longe tale an ende ¶ By proces / and by lengthe of certeyn yerys Al stynt is / the moornynge and the terys Of Grekys / by oon general assent Thanne semed me / ther was a parlement At Atthenes / vp on a certeyn point and caas Among the whiche pointes / y-spoken was To haue / with certeyn contrees alliance And haue fully / of Thebans obeisance ffor which this noble Theseus anon Leet senden / after gentil Palamon Vnwist of hym / what was the cause and why But in his blake clothes / sorwefully He cam at his comandement / in hye Tho sente Theseus / for Emelye ¶ Whan they were set and hust was al the place And Theseus / abiden hath a space Er any word / cam from his wise brest/ His eyen sette he ther as was his lest And with a sad visage / he siked stille And after that right thus he seyde his wille ¶ The firste moeuere / of the cause aboueNota Whan he first made / the faire cheyne of loue Greet was theffect and heigh was his entente Wel wiste he why / and what ther of he mente ffor with that faire cheyne of loue he boond The fyr / the Eyr / the water / and the loond In certeyn boundes / þat they may nat flee That same Prince / and that moeuere quod he Hath stabliced / in this wrecched world adoun Certeine dayes / and duracioun To al / that is engendred / in this place Ouer the which day / they may nat pace Al mowe they yet / tho dayes abregge Ther nedeth / noon auctoritee to allegge ffor it is proued / by experience But þat me list declaren my sentence Thanne may men wel / by this ordre discerne That thilke moeuere / stable is and eterne Wel may men knowe / but it be a fool That euery part . is diryued from his hool ffor nature / hath nat taken his bigynnyng Of no partie / or of cantel of a thyng But of a thyng . that parfit is and stable Descendynge so / til it be corrumpable And ther fore / for his wise purueiaunce He hath / so wel biset his ordinaunce That specis of thynges / and progressions Shullen enduren / by successions And noght eterne / with outen any lye This maistow vnderstonde / and seen at Iye ¶ Loo the ook / that hath so long a norisshynge ffro the tyme / that it first gynneth sprynge And hath so long a lyf / as ye may see Yet at the laste / wasted is the tree ¶ Considreth eek / how þat the harde stoon Vnder oure foot on which we ryde and goon It wasteth / as it lyth by the weye The brode Ryuer / som tyme wexeth dreye The grete townes / se we wane and wende Thanne se ye / þat al this thyng hath ende Of man and womman / se we wel also That nedeth / in oon of thise termes two This is to seyn / in youthe / or ellis age He moot be deed / the kyng as shal a page Som in his bed / som in the depe see Som in the large feeld / as ye may se Ther helpeth noght al gooth that ilke weye Thanne may I seyn / þat al this thyng moot deye What maketh this? but Iuppiter the kyng That is Prince / and cause of alle thyng Conuertyng / al vn to his propre welle ffrom which he is diryued sooth to telle And heer agayns / no creature on lyue Of no degree / auailleth for to stryue ¶ Thanne is it wisdom / as it thynketh me To maken vertu / of necessitee And take it wel / þat we may nat eschue And nameliche / that to vs alle is due And who so gruccheth oght he dooth folye And rebel is / to hym þat al may gye And certeinly / a man hath moost honour To dyen / in his excellence and flour Whan he is siker / of his goode name Thanne hath he doon / his freend ne hym no shame And gladder oghte / his freend been of his deeth Whan with honour / yolden is vp his breeth Than whan his name / apalled is for age ffor al forgeten is his vasselage Thanne is it best as for a worthy fame To dyen / whan he is best of name ¶ The contrarie of al this / is wilfulnesse Why grucchen we / why haue we heuynesse That goode Arcite / of chiualrie flour Departed is / with duetee / and with honour Out of this foule prison / of this lyf Why gruccheth heere / his cosyn and his wyf/ Of his welfare / þat loueth hem so weel Kan he hem thank? nay good woot neuer a deel That bothe his soule / and eek hem self offende And yet they mowe / hir lustes nat amende ¶ What may I conclude / of this longe serye But after wo / I rede vs to be merye And thanken Iuppiter / of al his grace And er we / departen from this place I rede we make / of sorwes two O parfit Ioye / lastynge euere mo And loketh now / wher moost sorwe is her Inne Ther wol I first amenden and bigynne ¶ Suster quod he / this is my ful assent With al thauys / heer of my parlement That gentil Palamon / youre owene knyght That serueth yow / with wyl and herte myght And euere hath doon / syn ye first hym knewe That ye shal of youre grace vp on hym rewe And taken hym / for housbond and for lord Leen me youre hond / for this is oure acord Lat se now / of youre wommanly pitee He is / a kynges brother sone pardee And thogh he were / a poure Bachiler Syn he hath serued yow / so many a yeer And had for yow / so greet aduersitee It moste been considred / leueth me ffor gentil mercy / oghte to passen right ¶ Thanne seyde he thus / to Palamon the knyght I trowe / ther nedeth litel sermonyng To make yow / assente to this thyng Com neer / and taketh youre lady by the hond Bitwixe hem / was maad anon the bond That highte matrymoigne / or mariage By al the conseil / and the Baronage And thus / with alle blisse / and melodye Hath Palamon / ywedded Emelye And god / that al this world hath wroght Sende hym his loue / that hath it deere aboght ffor now is Palamon / in alle wele Lyuynge in blisse / in richesse / and in heele And Emelye / hym loueth so tendrely And he / hir serueth so gentilly That was ther no word hem bitwene Of Ialousie / or any oother teene Thus endeth Palamon / and Emelye And god saue / al this faire compaignye Amen. ¶ Here is ended the Knyghtes tale. ¶ The prologe of the Milleres tale. WHan that the knyght hadde thus his tale ytoold In al the compaignie / nas ther yong ne oold That he ne seyde / it was a noble Storie And worthy / for to drawen to memorie And namely / the gentils euerichon ¶ Oure hoost lough / and swoor so moot I gon This gooth aright vnbokeled is the male Lat se now / who shal telle another tale ffor trewely / the game is wel bigonne Now telleth ye sire Monk / if þat ye konne Som what / to quite with the knyghtes tale ¶ The Millere / that for-dronken was a pale So that vnnethe / vp on his hors he sat He nolde aualen / neither hood ne hat Ne abiden no man / for his curteisye But in Pilates voys / he gan to crye And swoor by armes / and by blood and bones I kan a noble tale / for the nones With which / I wol now quite the knyghtes tale ¶ Oure Hoost saugh / þat he was dronke of ale ¶ And seyde / abyde Robyn leeue brother Som bettre man / shal telle vs first another Abyde / and lat vs werken thriftily ¶ By goddes soule quod he / that wol nat I ffor I wol speke / or ellis go my wey ¶ Oure Hoost answerde / tel on a deuele wey Thow art a fool / thy wit is ouercome ¶ Now herkneth quod the Millere / alle and some But first I make a protestacioun That I am dronke / I knowe it by my sown And therfore / if þat I mysspeke / or seye Wite it / the ale of Southwerk I preye ffor I wol telle / a legende and a lyf Bothe of a Carpenter / and of his wyf How þat a clerk hath set the wrightes cappe ¶ The Reue answerde / and seyde stynt thy clappe Lat be / thy lewed dronken harlotrye It is a synne / and eek a greet folye To apeyren any man / or hym diffame And eek to bryngen wyues / in swich fame Thow mayst ynow / of othere thynges seyn ¶ This dronken Millere / spak ful soone ageyn And seyde / leeue brother Osewold Who hath no wyf / he is no Cokewold But I seye nat ther-fore / þat thow art oon Ther been ful goode wyues many oon . . . . . . . . . .no gap in the MS. Why artow angry / wit my tale now I haue a wyf pardee / as wel as thow Yet nolde I / for the oxen in my plough Take vp on me / moore than ynough As demen of my self / þat I were oon I wol bileeue wel / þat I am noon An housbonde / shal noght been Inquisityf/ Of goddes pryuetee / nor of his wyf So he may fynde / goddes foyson there Of the remenant nedeth noght enquere ¶ What sholde I moore seyn / but this Millere He nolde his wordes / for no man forbere But tolde his cherles tale / in his manere Me athynketh / that I shal reherce it heere And ther-fore / euery gentil wight I preye Demeth noght for goddes loue / þat I seye Of yuel entente / but for I moot reherse Hir tales alle / be they bet or werse Or ellis falsen / som of my matere And ther-fore / who so list it noght yhere Turne ouer the leef / and chese another tale ffor he shal fynde ynowe / grete and smale Of storial thyng that toucheth gentilesse And eek moralitee / and holynesse Blameth noght me / if þat ye chese amys The Millere is a cherl / ye knowe wel this So was the Reue eek and othere mo And harlotrye / they tolden bothe two Auyseth yow / and put me out of blame And eek men shal noght maken ernest of game[Slight break in the MS.] ¶ Here bigynneth the Millerys tale. Whilom ther was dwellyng at Oxenford A riche gnof that gestes heeld to bord And of his craft he was a Carpenter With hym ther was dwellynge a poure Scoler Hadde lerned art but al his fantasie Was turned / for to leere Astrologie And koude / a certeyn of conclusions To demen / by interrogacions If þat men axed hym / in certein houres Whan þat men sholde haue droghte / or ellis shoures Or if men axed hym / what shal bifalle Of euery thyng / I may nat rekene hem alle ¶ This clerk / was clepyd hende Nicholas Of derne loue he koude / and of solas And ther-to he was sleigh / and ful pryuee And lyk a mayde meke / for to see A chambre hadde he / in that hostelrie Allone / with-outen any compaignye fful fetisly dight / with herbes swoote And he hym self as sweete as is the roote Of lycorys / or any Cetuale His Almageste / and bookes grete and smale His Astrelabye / longynge for his Art His Augrym stones / layen faire a part On shelues couched / at his beddes heed His presse / ycouered with a ffaldyng reed And al aboue / ther lay a gay Sautrye On which / he made a nyghtes melodye So swetely / þat al the chambre roong And Angelus ad virginem / he soong And after that he soong the kynges note fful often blissed was / his murye throte And thus this swete clerk / his tyme spente After his freendes fyndyng and his rente ¶ This Carpenter / hadde wedded newe a wyf Which þat he louede / moore than his lyf Of .xviij. yeer / she was of age Ialous he was / and heeld hire narwe in Cage ffor she was wilde and yong / and he was old And demed hym self / been lyk a Cokewold He knew nat Caton / for his wit was rude That bad / man sholde wedde his similitude Men sholde wedden / after hir estaat ffor youthe and Elde / is often at debaat But sith þat he / was fallen in the snare He moste endure / as oother folk his care ¶ ffair was this yonge wyf / and ther with al As any wesele / hir body gent and smal A ceynt she werde / barred al of sylk/ A barmclooth / as whit as morne Mylk Vp on hir lendes / ful of many a goore Whit was hir smok and broyden al bifoore And eek bihynde / on hir coler aboute Of col blak silk / with-Inne and eek with-oute The tapes / of hir white voluper Were of the same sute / of hir coler Hir filet brood of sylk and set ful hye And sikerly / she hadde a likerous Iye fful smale ypulled / were hir browes two And tho were bent / and blake as is a slo She was ful moore / blisful on to see Than is the newe / Pereionette tree And softer / than the wolle is of a wether And by hir girdel / heeng a purs of lether Tasseled with silk / and perled with latoun In al this world / to seken vp and doun Ther nys no man so wys / þat koude thenche So gay a Popelote / or swich a wenche fful brighter was / the shynyng of hir hewe Than in the Tour / the noble yforged newe But of hir soong it was as loude and yerne As any swalwe / sittyng on a Berne Ther-to / she koude skippe / and make game As any kyde / or Calf / folwynge his dame Hir mouth was sweete / as Bragot or the meeth Or hoord of Apples / leyd in hey or heeth Wynsynge she was / as is a ioly Colt Loong as a Mast / and vprighte as a bolt A brooch she baar / vp on hir loue coler As brood / as is the boos of a Bokeler Hir shoes were laced / on hir legges hye She was a Prymerole / a piggesnye ffor any lord / to leggen in his bedde Or yet for any good yeman to wedde ¶ Now sire and eft sire / so bifel the cas That on a day / this hende Nicholas ffil with this yonge wyf / to rage and pleye Whil þat hir housbonde / was at Osneye As clerkes been / ful subtil and ful queynte And pryuely / he caughte hire by the queynte And seyde ywys / but if ich haue my wille ffor derne loue / of thee lemman I spille And heeld hire harde / by the haunche bones And seyde lemman / loue me al atones Or I wol dyen / al so god me saue And she sproong as a Colt dooth in the Traue And with hir heed / she wryed faste awey She seyde I wol nat kisse thee by my fey Wy lat be quod ich / lat be Nicholas Or I wol crye / out harrow and allas Do wey youre handes / for youre curteisye ¶ This Nicholas / gan mercy for to crye And spak so faire / and profred hym so faste That she hir loue / hym graunted atte laste, And swoor hir ooth / by Seint Thomas of Kent That she wolde been / at his comaundement Whan þat she may / hir leyser wel espie Myn housbonde / is so ful of Ialousie That but ye waite wel / and been pryuee I woot right wel / I nam but deed quod she Ye moste been ful derne / as in this cas ¶ Nay ther of / care thee noght quod Nicholas A clerc hadde lutherly / biset his while But if he koude / a Carpenter bigyle And thus they been acorded and y-sworn To waite a tyme / as I haue told biforn Whan Nicholas / hadde doon thus euerydel And thakked hire / vp on the lendes wel He kiste hir sweete / and taketh his sautrye And pleyeth faste / and maketh melodye ¶ Thanne fil it thus / þat to the parissh chirche Cristes owene werkes / for to wirche This goode wyf / wente on an haliday Hir forheed shoon / as bright as any day So was it wasshen / whan she leet hir werk ¶ Now was ther of that chirche a parissh clerk The which / þat was yclepid Absolon Crul was his heer / and as the gold it shoon And strouted as a ffanne / large and brode fful streight and euene / lay his ioly shode His rode was reed / hise eyen greye as goos With Poules wyndow / coruen on his shoos In hoses rede / he wente fetisly Yclad he was / ful smal and proprely Al in a kirtel / of a light waget fful faire and thikke / been the pointes set[set later] And ther vp on / he hadde a gay surplys As whit as is the blosme vp on the rys A murye child he was / so god me saue Wel koude he laten blood / and clippe and shaue And maken a chartre of lond / or Aquitaunce On twenty manere / koude he trippe and daunce After the scole / of Oxenford tho And with his legges / casten to and fro And pleyen songes / on a smal Rubible Ther-to he soong som tyme / a loud quynyble And as wel / koude he pleye on a gyterne In al the town / nas Brewhous ne Tauerne That he ne visited / with his solas Ther any gaylard tappestere was But sooth to seyn / he was som del squaymous Of fartyng / and of speche daungerous ¶ This Absolon / þat ioly was and gay Gooth with a sencer / on the haliday Sensynge the wyues / of the parisshe faste And many a louely look / on hem he caste And namely / on this Carpenters wyf To looke on hire / hym thoughte a murye lyf She was so propre and sweete and likerous I dar wel seyn / if she hadde been a Mous And he a cat he wolde hir hente anon This parisshe clerk this ioly Absolon Hath in his herte / swich a loue longynge That of no wyf / ne took he noon offrynge ffor curteisye / he seyde he wolde noon The Moone / whan it was nyght ful brighte shoon And Absolon / his gyterne / hath ytake ffor paramours / he thoghte for to wake And forth he gooth / iolyf and amorous Til he cam / to the Carpenters hous A litel after the cokkes hadde ycrowe And dressed hym vp / by a shot wyndowe That was / vp on the Carpenters wal He syngeth / in his voys / gentil and smal Now deere lady / if thy wille be I prey yow / þat ye wol rewe on me fful wel acordant to his giternynge This Carpenter awook and herde hym synge And spak vn to his wyf / and seyde anon What Alison / herestow noght Absolon That chaunteth thus / vnder oure boures wal ¶ And she / answerde hir housbonde / ther with al Yis god woot Iohn / I here it euerydel This passeth forth / what wol ye bet than wel ffro day to day / this ioly Absolon So woweth hire / þat hym is wo bigon He waketh al the nyght and al the day He kembed his lokkes brode / and made hym gay He woweth hire by meenes / and brocage And swoor / he wolde been hir owene page He syngeth brokkyng as a nyghtyngale He sente hir pyment Meeth / and spiced Ale And wafres pipyng hoot / out of the gleede And for she was of towne / he profred meede ffor som folk / wol be wonnen for richesse And som for strokes / and som for gentilesseVnde Ouidius Ictibus Agrestis. Som tyme to shewe / his lightnesse and maistrye He pleyeth Herodes / vp on a scaffold hye But what auailleth hym / as in this cas She loueth so / this hende Nicholas That Absolon / may blowe the Bukkes horn He ne hadde for his labour / but a scorn And thus she maketh / Absolon hir Ape And al his ernest / turneth til a Iape fful sooth is this prouerbe / it is no lye Men seith right thus / alwey the neighe slye Maketh / the ferre leeue to be looth ffor thogh þat Absolon / be wood or wrooth By cause / þat he fer was from hir sighte This neighe Nicholas / stood in his lighte ¶ Now bere thee wel / thow hende Nicholas ffor Absolon / may waille / and synge allas ¶ And so bifel it on a Saterday This Carpenter / was goon til Osenay And hende Nicholas / and Alison Acorded been / to this conclusion That Nicholas / shal shapen hem a wile This sely Ialous housbonde / to bigile And if so be / this game wente aright She sholde slepen / in his arm al nyght ffor this was hir desir / and his also And right anoon / with-outen wordes mo This Nicholas / no lenger wolde tarie But dooth ful softe / vn to his chambre carie Bothe mete and drynke / for a day or tweye And to hir housbonde / bad hir for to seye If þat he axed / after Nicholas She sholde seye / she nyste wher he was Of al that day / she seigh hym nought with Iye She trowed / þat he was in maladye ffor / for no cry / hir mayde koude hym calle He nolde answere / for no thyng þat myghte falle ¶ This passeth forth / al thilke Saterday That Nicholas / stille in his chambre lay And eet and sleepe / or dide what hym leste Til Sonday / þat sonne gooth to reste ¶ This sely Carpenter / hath greet meruaille Of Nicholas / or what thyng myghte hym aille And seyde / I am adrad / by Seint Thomas It stondeth nat aright with Nicholas God shilde / þat he deyde sodeynly This world is now / ful tikel sikerly I seigh to day a corps / born to chirche That now a monday last I seigh hym wirche Go vp quod he / vn to his knaue anoon Clepe at his dore / or knokke with a stoon Looke how it is / and tel me boldely ¶ This knaue gooth hym vp / ful sturdily And at the chambre dore / whil þat he stood He cryde and knokked / as þat he were wood What how / what do ye maister Nicholay How may ye slepen / al the longe day But al for noght he herde nat a word An hole he foond / ful lowe vp on a bord Ther as the Cat / was wont In for to crepe And at that hole / he looked In ful depe And atte laste / he hadde of hym a sighte ¶ This Nicholas / sat euere capyng vp-righte As he hadde kiked / on the newe moone Adown he gooth / and tolde his maister soone In what array / he saw this ilke man ¶ This Carpenter / to blessen hym bigan And seyde / help vs seinte ffrideswyde A man woot litel / what hym shal bityde This man is falle / with his Astromye In som woodnesse / or in som Agonye I thoghte ay wel / how þat it sholde be Men sholde noght knowe / of goddes priuetee Ye blissed be alwey / a lewed man That noght but oonly his bileue kan So ferde another clerk with Astromye He walked in the feeldes / for to prye Vp on the sterres / what ther sholde bifalle Til he was / in a Marle pit yfalle He saw nat that but yet by Seint Thomas Me reweth sore / for hende Nicholas He shal be rated / of his studiyng If þat I may / by Ihesus heuene kyng Get me a staf / þat I may vnder-spore Whil þat thow Robyn / heuest vp the dore He shal out of his studyyng as I gesse And to the chambre dore / he gan hym dresse His knaue / was a strong carl / for the nones And by the haspe / he haaf it vp atones In to the floor / the dore fil anoon This Nicholas / sat ay as stille as stoon And euere caped vp / in to the Eyr This Carpenter / wende he were in despeyr And hente hym / by the sholdres myghtily And shook hym harde / and cryde spitously What Nicholay / what how looke adoun Awake / and thenk on Cristes passioun I crouche thee / from Elues and fro wightes Ther-with the nyght spel / seyde he anon rightes On foure halues / of the hous aboute And on the thresshfold / on the dore with-oute Ihesu crist and Seint Benedight Blesse this hous / from euery wikked wight ffor the nyghtesuerye / the white Pater noster Where wentestow / seinte Petres suster And at the laste / this hende Nicholas Gan for to sike soore / and seyde allas Shal al the world / be lost eft soones now ¶ This Carpenter answerde / what seistow What thenk / on god / as we doon men þat swynke ¶ This Nicholas answerde / fecche me drynke And after / wol I speke in pryuetee Of certein thyng / þat toucheth me and thee I wol telle it / noon oother man certayn ¶ This Carpenter gooth doun / and comth agayn And broghte of myghty ale / a large quart And whan þat eech of hem / hadde dronke his part This Nicholas / his dore faste shette And doun the Carpenter / by hym he sette And seyde / Iohn / myn hoost lief and deere Thou shalt vp on thy trouthe / swere me heere That to no wight thou shalt this conseil wreye ffor it is cristes conseil / that I seye And if thou telle it man thou art forlore ffor this vengeaunce / thow shalt haue ther fore That if thow wreye me / thow shalt be wood ¶ Nay Crist forbede it / for his holy blood Quod tho this sely man / I nam no labbe And thogh I seye / I nam nat lief to gabbe Sey what thow wolt I shal it neuere telle To child ne wyf / by hym that harwed helle ¶ Now Iohn quod Nicholas / I wol noght lye I haue yfounde / in myn Astrologye As I haue looked / in the moone bright That now a monday next at quarter nyght Shal falle a reyn / and that so wilde and wood That half so greet was neuere Nowels flood This world he seyde / in lasse than in an hour Shal al be dreynt so hidous is the shour Thus shal man-kynde drenche / and lese hir lyf ¶ This Carpenter answerde / allas my wyf And shal she drenche / allas myn Alisoun ffor sorwe of this / he fil almoost adoun And seyde / is ther no remedie in this cas ¶ Why yis for gode / quod hende Nicholas If thow wolt werken / after loore and reed Thow mayst noght werken / after thyn owene heed ffor thus seith Salomon / þat was ful trewe Werk al by conseil / and thow shalt noght rewe And if thow werken wolt by good consayl I vndertake / with-outen mast or sayl Yit shal I saue hire / and thee and me Hastow nat herd / how saued was Noe Whan þat oure lord / hadde warned hym biforn That al the world / with water sholde be lorn ¶ Yis quod this Carpenter / ful yore ago ¶ Hastow nat herd / quod Nicholas also The sorwe of Noe / with his felaweshipe Er þat he myghte / gete his wyf to shipe Hym hadde leuere / I dar wel vndertake At thilke tyme / than alle hise wetheres blake That she hadde had a shipe / hir self allone And ther-fore / wostow what is best to done This axeth haste / and of any hastyf thyng Men may noght preche / or maken tariyng Anoon go gete vs faste / in to this In A knedyng trogh / or ellis a kymelyn ffor eech of vs / but looke þat they be large In whiche we mowen swymme / as in a barge And han ther-Inne / vitaille suffisaunt But for a day / fy on the remenaunt The water shal aslake / and goon away Aboute pryme / vp on the nexte day But Robyn may nat wite of this / thy knaue Ne eek thy mayde Gille / I may nat saue Axe noght why / for thogh thou axe me I wol noght tellen goddes pryuetee Suffiseth thee / but if thy wittes madde To han as greet a grace / as Noe hadde Thy wif shal I wel sauen / out of doute Go now thy wey / and speed thee heer aboute But whan thou hast / for hire and thee and me Ygeten vs / thise knedyng tubbes thre Thanne shaltow hangen hem / in the roof ful hye That no man / of oure purueiance espye And whan thow thus hast doon / as I haue seyd And hast oure vitaille / faire in hem yleyd And eek an Ax / to smyte the corde atwo Whan þat the water cometh / þat we may go And breke an hole / an heigh vp on the gable Vn to the gardynward / ouer the stable That we may frely / passen forth oure wey Whan þat the grete shour / is goon awey Thanne shaltow swymme / as murye I vndertake As dooth the white doke / after his drake Thanne woltow clepe / how Alison / how Iohn Be murye / for the flood wol passe anon And thou wolt seyn / hail maister Nicholay Good morwe / I see thee wel / for it is day And thanne shal we be lordes al oure lyf/ Of al the world / as Noe and his wyf/ But of o thyng / I warne thee ful right Be wel auysed / on that ilke nyght That we been entred / in to shippes bord That noon of vs / ne speke noght a word Ne clepe ne crye / but been in his prayere ffor it is / goddes owene heste deere Thy wyf and thow / mote hange fer atwynne ffor þat bitwix yow / shal be no synne Namoore in lookyng / than ther shal in dede This ordinaunce is seyd / go god thee spede Tomorwe at nyght whan men been alle aslepe In to oure knedyng tubbes / wol we crepe And sitten there / abidyng goddes grace Go now thy wey / I haue no lenger space To make of this / no lenger sermonyng Men seyn thus / seend the wise and sey no thyng Thow art so wys / it nedeth thee nat teche Go saue oure lyf and that I thee biseche ¶ This sely Carpenter / gooth forth his wey fful ofte he seyde / allas and weylaway And to his wyf / he tolde his priuetee And she was war / and knew it bet than he What al this queynte cast was for to seye But nathelees / she ferde as she wolde deye And seyde allas / go forth thy wey anon Help vs to scape / or we been dede echon I am thy trewe / verray wedded wyf Go deere spouse / and help to saue oure lyf ¶ Lo which a greet thyng / is affeccion Men may dyen / of ymaginacion So depe / may impression be take This sely Carpenter / bigynneth quake Hym thynketh verrailiche / þat he may se Noes flood / come walwyng as the see To drenchen Alison / his hony deere He wepeth / waileth / maketh sory cheere He siketh / with ful many a sory swogh And gooth / and geteth hym a knedyng trogh And after / a tubbe and a kymelyn And pryuely / he sente hem to his In And heeng hem / in the roof in priuetee His owene hand / he made laddres thre To clymben / by the ronges and the stalkes Vn to the tubbes / hangyng in the balkes And hem vitailed / bothe trogh and tubbe With breed and chese / and good ale in a Iubbe Suffisynge right ynogh / as for a day But er þat he hadde maad / al this array He sente his knaue and / eek his wenche also Vp on his nede / to london for to go And on the monday / whan it drogh to nyght He shette his dore / with-outen candel lyght And dressed alle thyng as it sholde be And shortly / vp they clomben alle thre They seten stille / wel a furlong way Now Pater noster / clom seyde Nicholay And clum quod Iohn / and clum seyde Alison This Carpenter / seyde his deuocion And stille he sit and biddeth his prayere Awaitynge on the reyn / if he it heere ¶ The dede sleepe / for wery bisynesse ffil on this Carpenter / right as I gesse Aboute corfew tyme / or litel moore ffor trauaillyng of his goost he groneth soore And eft he routeth / for his heed myslay ¶ Doun of the laddre / stalketh Nicholay And Alison / ful softe adoun she spedde With-outen wordes mo / they goon to bedde Ther as the Carpenter / is wont to lye Ther was the reuel / and the melodye And thus lyth Alison / and Nicholas In busynesse of myrthe / and in solas Til that the belle of laudees / gan to rynge And freres in the chauncel / gonne synge ¶ This parissh clerk this amorous Absolon That is for loue / alwey so wo bigon Vp on the monday / was at Osneye With compaignye / hym to disporte and pleye And axed vp on caas / a Cloistrer fful pryuely / after Iohn the Carpenter And he drogh hym a part out of the cherche And seyde I noot I saugh hym here noght werche Sith Saterday / I trowe þat he be went ffor tymber / ther oure Abbot hath hym sent ffor he is wont for tymber for to go And dwellen atte graunge / a day or two Or ellis / he is at his hous certeyn Where þat he be / I kan noght soothly seyn ¶ This Absolon / ful iolyf was and lyght And thoghte / now is tyme to wake al nyght ffor sikerly / I saugh hym noght stirynge Aboute his dore / syn day bigan to sprynge So mote I thryue / I shal at Cokkes crowe fful priuely / knokken at hys wyndowe That stant ful lowe / vp on his boures wal To Alison / now wol I tellen al My loue longyng . for yit I shal nat mysse That at the leeste wey / I shal hir kisse Som manere confort / shal I haue parfay My mouth hath icched / al this longe day That is a signe of kissyng at the leeste Al nyght me mette eek / I was at a feeste Ther-fore I wol go slepe / an houre or tweye And al the nyght than wol I wake and pleye ¶ Whan þat the firste cok hath crowe anon Vp rist / this ioly louere Absolon And hym arrayeth gay / at point deuys But first / he cheweth grayn and likorys To smellen swete / er he hadde kembd his heer Vnder his tonge / a trewe loue he beer ffor ther by / wende he to be gracious He rometh / to the Carpenters hous And stille he stant vnder the shot wyndowe Vn to his brest it raughte / it was so lowe And ofte he cogheth / with a semy sown What do ye hony comb / swete Alisoun My faire bryd / my swete cynamone Awaketh lemman myn / and speketh to me Wel litel thynken ye / vp on my wo That for youre loue / I swete ther I go No wonder is / thogh þat I swelte and swete I moorne / as dooth a lamb / after the tete Ywis lemman / I haue swich loue longyng That lyk a turtle trewe / is my moornyng I may nat ete / namoore than a mayde ¶ Go fro the wyndow / Iakke fool she sayde As help me god / it wol nat be com pa me I loue another / and ellis I were to blame Wel bet than thee / by Ihesu Absolon Go forth thy wey / or I wol caste a stoon And lat me slepe / a twenty deuele wey ¶ Allas quod Absolon / and weilawey That trewe loue / was euere so yuel biset Thanne kys me / syn þat it may be no bet ffor Ihesus loue / and for the loue of me ¶ Woltow thanne / go thy wey ther-with quod she ¶ Ye certes lemman / quod this Absolon ¶ Thanne make thee redy quod she / I come anon . . . . . . . . . .no gap in the MS.] ¶ This Absolon / doun sette hym on his knees And seyde / I am a lord / at alle degrees ffor after this / I hope ther cometh moore Lemman thy grace / and swete bryd thyn oore ¶ The wyndow she vndooth / and that in haste Haue do quod she / com of and speed thee faste Lest þat oure neghebores / thee espye ¶ This Absolon / gan wipe his mouth ful drye Derk was the nyght as pych / or as the cole And at the wyndow / out she putte hir hole And Absolon / hym fil no bet ne wers But with his mouth / he kiste hir naked ers. Nota malum quid fful sauourly / er he were war of this Abak he sterte / and thoghte it was amys ffor wel he wiste / a womman hath no berd He felte a thyng al rogh / and longe y-herd And seyde fy allas / what haue I do ¶ Te hee quod she / and clapte the wyndow to And Absolon / gooth forth a sory paas ¶ A berd / a berd / quod hende Nicholas By goddes corpus / this gooth faire and wel ¶ This sely Absolon / herde euery del And on his lippe / he gan for anger byte And to hym self / he seyde I shal thee quyte ¶ Who rubbeth now / who froteth now his lippes With dust with sond / with straw / with clooth / with chippes But Absolon / þat seith ful ofte allas My soule / bitake vn to Sathanas But me were leuere / than al this town quod he Of this despit awreken for to be Allas quod he / allas I ne hadde ybleynt His hote loue was coold / and al yqueynt ffor fro that tyme / þat he hadde kist hir ers Of paramours / he sette noght a kers ffor he was heelyd / of his maladye fful ofte paramours / he gan defye And weep / as dooth a child þat is ybete A softe paas / he went ouer the strete Vn til a smyth / men clepen daun Gerueys That in his forge / smythed plogh harneys He sharpeth shaar / and cultour bisily This Absolon / knokketh al esily And seyde / vndo Gerueys and that anoon ¶ What who artow?/ it am I Absolon What Absolon / what Cristes swete tree Why rise ye so rathe / ey benedicitee What eyleth yow / som gay gerl / god it woot Hath broght yow thus / vp on the viritoot By Seinte note / ye woot wel what I mene ¶ This Absolon / ne roghte nat a bene Of al his pley / no word agayn he yaf He hadde moore tow / on his dystaf Than Gerueys knew / and seyde freend so deere That hoote cultour / in the chymenee heere As lene it me / I haue ther-with to doone I wol brynge it thee / agayn ful soone ¶ Gerueys answerde / certes were it gold Or in a poke / nobles al vntold Thow sholdest haue / as I am trewe Smyth Ey Cristes foo / what wol ye do ther-with ¶ Ther-of quod Absolon / be as be may I shal wel telle it thee / another day And caughte the cultour / by the colde stele fful softe / out at the dore he gan to stele And wente / vn to the Carpenters wal He cogheth first and knokketh ther with al Vp on the wyndow / right as he dide er ¶ This Alison answerde / Who is ther? That knokketh so / I warante it a theef ¶ Wy nay quod he god woot my swete lief I am thyn Absolon / my derelyng Of gold quod he / I haue thee broght a ryng My moder yaf it me / so god me saue fful fyn it is / and ther-to wel ygraue This wol I yeuen thee / if thow me kisse ¶ This Nicholas / was risen for to pisse And thoghte / he wolde amenden al the Iape He sholde kisse his ers / er þat he scape And vp the wyndow / dide he hastely And out his ers / he putteth pryuely Ouer the buttok / to the haunche bon ¶ And ther-with / spak this clerk this Absolon Spek swete herte / I noot noght wher thow art This Nicholas / anoon leet fle a fart As greet as it hadde been a thonder dent That with the strook he was almoost yblent And he was redy / with his Iren hoot And Nicholas / in the ers he smoot Of gooth the skyn / an handbrede aboute The hoote cultour / brende so his toute That for the smert he wende for to dye As he were wood / for wo he gan to crye Help water / water / help for goddes herte ¶ This Carpenter / out of his slomber sterte And herde oon cryen water / as he were wood And thoghte allas / now cometh Nowelys flood He sette hym vp / with-oute wordes mo And with his ax / he smoot the corde atwo And down gooth al / he foond neither to selle Ne breed ne ale / til he cam to the Celle Vp on the floor / and there aswowne he lay ¶ Vp stirte hire / Alison and Nicholay And cryden out and harrow / in the Strete The neghebores / bothe smale and grete In ronnen / for to gauren on this man That aswowne lay / bothe pale and wan ffor with the fal / he brosten hadde his arm But stonde he moste / vn to his owene harm ffor whan he spak / he was anon bore doun With hende Nicholas and Alisoun They tolden euery man / þat he was wood He was agast so / of Nowelys flood Thurgh fantasie / þat of his vanytee He hadde yboght hym / knedyng tubbes thre And hadde hem hanged / in the roof aboue And þat he preyde hem / for goddes loue To sitten in the roof / par compaignye ¶ The folk gan laughen / at his fantasye In to the roof / they kiken and they cape And turned al his harm / vn to a Iape ffor what so / þat this Carpenter answerde It was for noght no man his reson herde With othes grete / he was so sworn adoun That he was holden wood / in al the toun ffor euery clerk / anon right heeld with oother They seyde / the man was wood / my leeue brother And euery wight gan laughen at this stryf Thus swyued / was the Carpenters wyf ffor al his kepyng and his Ialousye And Absolon / hath kist hir nether Iye And Nicholas / is scalded in the toute This tale is doon / and god saue al the route . ¶ Here is ended / the Millerys tale.[No gap in the MS.] . ¶ The prologe / of the Reues tale WHan folk hadde laughen / at this nyce cas Of Absolon / and hende Nicholas Diuerse folk / diuersely they seyde But for the moore part they lowe and pleyde Ne at his tale I seigh no man hym greue But it were oonly / Osewold the Reue By-cause he was / of Carpenters craft A litel Ire / is in his herte ylaft He gan to grucche / and blamed it a lite So the ik quod he / ful wel koude I thee quyte With bleryng of a proud Millerys Iye If þat me liste / speke of rybaudye But ik am oold / me list no pleye for age Gras tyme is doon / my fodder is now forage This white tope / writeth myne olde yerys Myn herte / is also mowled / as myne herys But if ik fare / as dooth an Openers That ilke fruyt is euer lenger the wers Til it be roten / in Mollok / or in stree We olde men / I drede so fare we Til we be roten / kan we noght be rype We hoppe alwey / whil þat the world wol pipe ffor in oure wil / ther stiketh ever a nayl To haue an hoor heer / and a grene tayl As hath a leek / for thogh oure myght be goon Oure wil desireth folie / euere in oon ffor whan we may noght doon / than wol we speke Yet in oure asshen olde / is fyr yreke ffoure gleedes haue we / whiche I shal deuyse Auauntyng lyyng Anger Coueitise Thise foure sparkles / longen vn to eelde Oure lymes / mowe wel been vnweelde But wil ne shal noght faillen / that is sooth And yet I haue alwey / a coltes tooth As many a yeer / as it is passed henne Syn þat my tappe of lyf / bigan to renne ffor sikerlik whan ik was bore anon Deeth drogh the tappe of lyf / and leet it goon And euere sith / hath so the tappe yronne Til þat almoost / al empty is the tonne The streem of lyf / now droppeth on the chymbe The sely tonge / may wel rynge and chymbe Of wrecchednesse / þat passed is ful yoore With olde folk / saue dotage is namoore ¶ Whan þat oure hoost hadde herd this sermonyng He gan to speke / as lordly as a kyng He seyde / what amounteth al this wit What shal we speke al day / of holy writ The deuel made / a Reue for to preche Or of a Soutere / a Shipman / or a leche Sey forth thy tale / and tarie noght the tyme Lo Depeford / and it is half wey pryme Lo Grenewych / ther many a sherewe is Inne It were al tyme / thy tale to bigynne ¶ Now sires / quod this Osewold the Reue I pray yow alle / þat ye noght yow greue Thogh I answere / and som del sette his howue ffor leueful is / with force / force of showue This dronken Myllere / hath ytoold vs heer How þat / bigiled was a Carpenter Perauenture in scorn / for I am oon And by youre leue / I shal hym quyte anon Right / in his cherles termes / wol I speke I pray to god / his nekke mote to-breke He kan wel / in myn eye / seen a stalke But in his owene / he kan noght seen a balke[No gap in the MS.] AT Trompyngton / nat fer fro CantebryggeNarratio Ther gooth a brook / and ouer that a brygge Vp on the which brook / ther stant a Melle And this is verray soothe / þat I yow telle A Millere was ther dwellyng many a day As any Pecok he was proud and gay Pipen he koude / and fisshe / and nettes beete And torne coppes / and wel wrastle and sheete And by his belt he baar a long Panade And of a swerd / ful trenchaunt was the blade A ioly poppere / baar he in his pouche Ther was no man / for peril dorste hym touche A Sheffeld thwitel / baar he in his hose Round was his face / and camuse was his nose As piled as an Ape / was his skulle He was a Market betere / atte fulle Ther dorste no wight hand vp on hym legge That he ne swoor / he sholde anon abegge A theef he was for sothe / of corn and mele And þat a sleigh / and vsant for to stele His name was hoten / deynous Symkyn A wif he hadde / comen of noble kyn The person of the toun / hir fader was With hire he yaf / ful many a panne a bras ffor þat Symkyn / sholde in his blood allye She was yfostred / in a Nonnerye ffor Symkyn / wolde no wyf as he sayde But she were wel ynorissed and a mayde To sauen / his estaat of yemanrye And she was proud / and peert as is a pye A ful fair sighte / was it vp on hem two On halidayes / biforn hire wolde he go With his tipet wounden aboute his heed And she cam after / in a gyte of reed And Symkyn / hadde hosen of the same Ther dorste no wight clepen hire but dame Was noon so hardy / þat wente by the weye That with hire / dorste rage / or ones pleye But if he / wolde be slayn of Symkyn With panade / or with knyf or boydekyn ffor Ialous folk / been perilouse eueremo Algate / they wolde hir wyues wenden so And eek / for she was som del smoterlich She was as diyne / as water in a dich And ful of hoker / and of bismare Hir thoghte / þat a lady sholde hir spare What for hir kynrede / and hir nortelrye That she hadde lerned / in the Nonnerye A doghter hadde they / bitwix hem two Of twenty yeer / with outen any mo Sauyng a child / þat was of hal[f] yeer age In Cradel it lay and was a propre page This wenche / thikke and wel ygrowen was With camuse nose / and eyen greye as glas With buttokes brode / and brestes rounde and hye But right fair was hir heer / I wol nat lye ¶ The person of the toun / for she was so feir In purpos was / to maken hire his heir Bothe of his catel / and his Mesuage. And straunge he made it of hir mariage His purpos was / for to bistowe hir hye In to som worthy blood of Auncetrye ffor holicherches good / moot been despended On holicherches blood / þat is descended Ther-fore he wolde his holy blood honoure Thogh þat he / holy chirche sholde deuoure ¶ Greet sokne / hath this Millere out of doute With whete and malt of al the lande aboute And nameliche / ther was a greet Collegge Men clepeth / the soler halle of Cantebregge Ther was hir whete / and eek hir malt ygrounde And on a day / it happed in a stounde Syk was this maunciple / on a maladie Men wenden wisly / þat he sholde dye ffor which this Millere / stal bothe mele and corn An hondred tyme / moore than biforn ffor ther biforn / he stal but curteisly But now / he was a theef outrageously ffor which the wardeyn / chidde and made fare But ther-of / sette the Millere noght a tare He craked boost / and swoor it was noght so Thanne were ther / yonge poure scolers two That dwelten in the halle / of which I seye Testyf they were / and lusty for to pleye And oonly / for hir myrthe and reuerye Vp on the wardeyn / bisily they crye To yeue hem leue / but a litel stounde To go to Mille / and seen hir corn ygrounde And hardily / they dorste leye hir nekke The Millere / sholde noght stelen hem half a pekke Of corn by sleighte / ne by force hem reue And atte laste / the wardeyn yaf hem leue Iohn highte that oon / and Aleyn highte that oother Of oon town were they born / þat highte Strother ffer in the North / I kan noght telle where This Aleyn / maketh redy al his gere And on an hors / the sak he caste anon fforth gooth Aleyn the clerk/. and also Iohn With good swerd / and with bokeler by his syde Iohn knew the wey / hym neded no gyde And at the Mille / the sak adoun he layth ¶ Aleyn spak first al hayl Symkyn in fayth How fares thy faire doghter / and thy wyf ¶ Aleyn wel come / quod Symkyn by my lyf And Iohn also / how now / what do ye here ¶ By god quod Iohn·/ Symond nede has na peere Hym bihoues serue hym self / þat has na swayn Or ellis / he is a fool / as clerkes sayn Oure maunciple / I hope he wol be deed Swa werkes ay / the wanges in his heed And ther-fore is I come / and eek Alayn To grynde oure corn / and carie it heem agayn I pray yow / speed vs heythen / what ye may ¶ It shal be doon / quod Symkyn by my fay What wol ye doon / whil þat it is in hande By god / right by the hoper / wol I stande Quod Iohn / and se how the corn gas In Yet saw I neuere / by my fader kyn How þat the hoper / wagges til and fra ¶ Aleyn answerde / Iohan wiltow swa Thanne wol I be byneth / by my crown And se / how þat the mele falles down In to the trogh / that sal be my desport ffor Iohn in faith / I may been of youre sort I is as ille a Millere / as ar ye ¶ This Millere / smyled of hir nycetee And thoghte / al this nys doon / but for a wyle They wene / þat no man may hem bigile But by my thrift / yet shal I blere hir Iye ffor al the sleighte / in hir Phislophye The moore queynte crekys / þat they make The moore wol I stele / whan I take In stede of flour / yet wol I yeue hem bren The grettest clerkes / been noght the wisest men As whilom to the wolf thus spak the mare Of al hir art counte I noght a tare Out of the dore / he gooth ful pryuely Whan þat he saugh his tyme / softely He looketh vp and doun / til he hath founde The clerkes hors / ther as it stood ybounde Bihynde the Mille / vnder a leefsel And to the hors / he gooth hym faire and wel He strepeth of the bridel / right anon And whan the hors was laus / he gynneth gon Toward the fen / ther wilde mares renne And forth with wehe / thurgh thikke and thenne This Millere gooth ayein / no word he seyde But dooth his note / and with the clerkes pleyde Til þat hir corn / was faire and wel ygrounde And whan the mele / was sakked and ybounde ¶ This Iohn gooth out and fynt his hors away And gan to crye / harrow and weilaway Oure hors is lost. Alayn for goddes banes Step on thy feet / com of man al atanes Allas oure wardeyn / has his palfrey lorn ¶ This Alayn al forgat bothe mele and corn Al was out of his mynde / his housbondrye What whilk wey is he gane / he gan to crye ¶ The wyf cam lepyng Inward with a ren She seyde allas / youre hors gooth to the fen With wilde mares / as faste as he may go Vnthank come on his hand / þat boond hym so And he þat bettre / sholde haue knyt the reyne ¶ Allas quod Iohn / Aleyn for Cristes peyne Lay doun thy swerd / and I wol myn alswa I is ful wight / God waat as is a ra By god hert he sal nat scape vs bathe Why ne had thow / pit the capil in the lathe Il hail / by god Alayn / thow is a fonne ¶ This sely clerkes / haan ful faste yronne Toward the fen / bothe Alayn and eek Iohn And whan the Millere seigh / þat they were gon He half a busshel / of hir flour hath take And bad his wyf / go knede it in a cake He seyde I trowe / the clerkes were aferd Yet kan a Millere / maken a clerkes berd ffor al his art ye lat hem goon hir weye Lo where he gooth / ye lat the children pleye They gete hym noght so lightly / by my croun ¶ Thise sely clerkes / rennen vp and doun With keep / keep / stand / stand / Iossa warderere Ga whistle thow / and I sal kepe hym heere But shortly / til þat it was verray nyght They koude noght thogh they dide al hir myght Hir capyl cacche / he ran alwey so faste Til in a dych / they caughte hym at the laste ¶ Wery and weet as beest is in the reyn Comth sely Iohn / and with hym comth Aleyn Allas quod Iohn / the day þat I was born Now ar we dryuen / til hethyng and til scorn Oure corn is stole / men wil vs foolis calle Bothe the wardeyn / and oure felawes alle And namely the Millere / weilawey ¶ Thus pleyneth Iohn / as he gooth by the wey Toward the Mille / and Bayard in his hond The Millere / sittyng by the fyr he fond ffor it was nyght and ferther myghte they noght But for the loue of god / they hym bisoght Of herberwe and of ese / as for hir peny ¶ The Millere seide agayn / if ther be eny Swich as it is / yet shal ye haue youre part Myn hous is streyt but ye han lerned art Ye kan by argumentz / make a place A myle brood / of twenty foot of space Lat se now / if this place may suffise Or make it rowm with speche / as is youre gyse ¶ Now Symond seyde this Iohn / by seint Cutberd Ay is thou myrie / and that is faire answerd I haue herd seye / men sal tak of twa thynges Swilk as he fyndes / or tak swilk as he brynges But specialy / I pray thee hoost deere Get vs som mete and drynke / and make vs cheere And we wol payen / trewely atte fulle With empty hand / men may none haukes tulle Lo heere oure siluer / redy for to spende ¶ This Millere in to town / his doghter sende ffor ale and breed / and rosted hem a goos And boond hir hors / it sholde namoore go loos And in his owene chambre / hem made a bed With shetes and with chalons / faire yspred Noght from his owene bed / but ten foot or twelue His doghter hadde a bed / al by hir selue Right in the same chambre by and by It myghte be no bet and cause why Ther was no rowmer herberwe / in the place They soupen / and they speken / hem to solace And drynken euere stroong ale / at the beste Aboute mydnyght / wente they to reste Wel hath this Millere / vernysshed his heed fful pale he was for-dronke / and noght reed He yexeth / and he speketh thurgh the nose As he were / on the quakke / or on the pose To bedde he goth / and with hym goth his wyf As any Iay / she light was and iolyf So was hir ioly whistle / wel ywet The Cradel / at hir beddes feet is set To rokken / and to yeue the child to sowke And whan þat dronken / al was in the Crowke To bedde wente / the doghter right anon To bedde gooth Aleyn / and also Iohn Ther nas namoore / hem neded no dwale This Millere / hath so wisly bibbed ale That as an hors / he snorteth in his sleepe Ne of his tayl bihynde / he took no keepe His wyf bar hym / a burdon / a ful strong Men myghten hir routyng heren a furlong The wenche / routeth eek par compaignye ¶ Aleyn the clerc that herde this melodye He poked Iohn / and seyde slepestow Herd thow euere / slyk a sang er now Lo swilk a conplyng / is ymel hem alle A wilde fyr / on thair bodyes falle Wha herkned euere / swilk a ferly thyng Ye they sal haue / the flour of il endyng This lang night ther tydes me na reste But yet na force / al sal be for the beste ffor Iohn seyde he / als euere moot I thryue If þat I may / yon wenche wol I swyue Som esement / has lawe shapen vs ffor Iohn / ther is a lawe / þat says thus That gif a man / in a point be agreued That in another / he sal be releued Oure corn is stoln / soothly it is na nay And we han had / an ille fit to day And syn I sal / haue naan amendement Agayn my los / I wil haue esement By goddes saule / it sal naan other be ¶ This Iohn answerde / Aleyn auyse thee The Millere / is a perilous man he sayde And if þat he / out of his sleep abrayde He mighte doon vs bathe / a vileynye ¶ Aleyn answerde / I counte hym noght a flye And vp he rist / and by the wenche he crepte This wenche lay vp righte / and faste slepte Til he so neigh was / er she myghte aspie That it hadde been / to late for to crie And shortly for to seyn / they were at oon Now pley Aleyn / for I wol speke of Iohn ¶ This Iohn lith stille / a furlang wey or two And to hym self he maketh routhe and wo Allas quod he / this is a wikked Iape Now may I seyn / þat I is but an ape Yet has my felawe / som what for his harm He has the Milleris doghter / in his arm He auntred hym / and has his nedes sped And I lye / as a draf sak / in my bed And whan this iape / is told another day I sal ben halden / a daf a Cokenay I wil arise and auntre it by my fayth Vnhardy is vnsely / thus men sayth ¶ And vp he roos / and softely he wente Vn to the Cradel / and in his hand it hente And baar it softe / vn to his beddes feet Soone after this / the wyf hir routynt leet And gan awake / and wente hir out to pisse And cam agayn / and gan hir Cradel mysse And groped heer and ther / but she foond noon Allas quod she / I hadde almoost mysgoon I hadde almoost goon to the clerkes bed Ey benedicite / thanne had I foule ysped And forth she gooth / til she the Cradel fond She gropeth alwey / forther with hir hond And foond the bed / and thoghte noght but good By cause / þat the Cradel by it stood And nyste wher she was / for it was derk But faire and wel / she creep in to the clerk And lyth ful stille / and wolde haue caught a sleepe With-Inne a while / this Iohn the clerk vp leepe And on this goode wyf / he leyth on soore So murie a fyt ne hadde she nat ful yoore He priketh harde and depe / as he were mad This ioly lyf / han thise two clerkes lad Til þat / the thridde cok bigan to synge ¶ Aleyn wax wery / in the dawenynge ffor he hadde swonken / al the longe nyght And seyde / fare wel Malyn swete wight The day is come / I may no lenger byde But eueremo / wher so I go or ryde I is thyn awen clerk so haue I sel ¶ Now deere lemman quod she / go fare wel But er thow go / o thyng I wol thee telle Whan that thow wendest / homward by the Melle Right at the entree / of the dore bihynde Thow shalt a Cake / of half a busshel fynde That was ymaked / of thyn owene mele Which þat I heelp / my sire for to stele And good lemman / god thee saue and kepe And with that word / almoost he gan to wepe ¶ Aleyn vp rist and thoghte er þat it dawe I wol go crepen In / by my felawe And fond the Cradel / with his hond anon By god thoghte he / al wrang I haue mysgon Myn heed is toty / of my swynk to nyght That maketh me / þat I go noght aright I woot wel by the Cradel / I haue mysgo Here lyth the Millere / and his wyf also And forth he gooth / on twenty deueleway Vn to the bed / ther as the Millere lay He wende haue cropen / by his felawe Iohn And by the Millere / In he creep anoon And caughte hym by the nekke / and softe he spak He seyde thou Iohn / thow Swyneshed awak ffor cristes saule / and here a noble game ffor by that lord / þat called is Seint Iame As I haue thries / in this shorte nyght Swyued the Milleris doghter / bolt vp-right Whil thow hast as a coward been agast ¶ Ye false harlot quod the Millere hast A false traytour / false clerk quod he Thou shalt be deed / by goddes dignytee Who dorste be so bold / to disparage My doghter / that is come of swich lynage And by the throte bolle / he caughte Alayn And he hente hym / despitously agayn And on the nose / he smoot hym with his fest Doun ran the blody streem / vp on his brest And on the floor / with nose and mouth tobroke They walwen / as doon two pigges in a poke And vp they goon / and doun agayn anoon Til þat the Millere / sporned on a stoon And doun he fil / bakward vp on his wyf That wiste no thyng of this nyce stryf ffor she was falle aslepe / a litel wight With Iohn the clerk / that waked hadde al nyght And with the fal / out of hir sleepe she brayde Help holy cros of Bromholm / she sayde In manus tuas / lord to thee I calle Awake Symond / the feend is on me falle Myn herte is broken / help I nam but ded Ther lyth oon vp on my wombe / and vp myn hed Help Symkyn / for the false clerkes fighte ¶ This Iohn sterte vp / as faste as euere he myghte And graspeth by the walles / to and fro To fynde a staf / and she sterte vp also And knew the estres / bet than dide this Iohn And by the wal / a staf she foond anon And saugh / a litel shymeryng of a light ffor at an hole / in shoon the moone bright And by that light she saugh hem bothe two But sikerly / she nyste who was who But as she saugh / a whit thyng in hir Iye And whan she gan / this white thyng espye She wende the clerk hadde wered a voluper And with the staf / she drow ay ner and ner And wende han hit / this Aleyn atte fulle And smoot the Millere / on the piled skulle That doun he gooth / and cryde harrow I dye Thise clerkes bette hym wel / and lete hym lye And greithen hem / and tooke hir hors anon And eek hir mele / and on hir wey they gon And at the Mille / yet they toke hir cake Of half a busshel flour / ful wel ybake ¶ Thus is the proude Millere / wel ybete And hath ylost the gryndyng of the whete And payed for the souper / euerydel Of Aleyn / and of Iohn / that bette hym wel His wyf is swyued / and his doghter als Lo which it is / a Millere to be fals And ther-fore this prouerbe / is seyd ful sooth Hym thar nat wene wel / þat yuele dooth A gilour shal hym self / bigiled be And god / that sitteth heighe in magestee Saue al this compaignie / grete and smale Thus haue I quyt the Millere / in my tale ¶ Here endeth the Reues tale. .[Small break in the MS.] ¶ The prologe of the Cookes tale. THe Cook of London / whil the Reue spak ffor ioye hym thoughte / he clawed hym on the bak Haha quod he / for Cristes passion This Millere / hadde a sharpe conclusion Vp on his argument of herbergage Wel seyde Salomon / in his langage Ne bryng nat euery man / in to thyn hous ffor herberwyng by nyghte is perilous Wel oghte a man / auysed for to be Whom þat he broghte / in to his priuetee I pray to god / so yeue me sorwe and care If euer sith / I highte Hogge of ware Herde I a Millere / bettre yset awerk/ He hadde a iape of malice / in the derk But god forbede / that we stynten heerehic ffor if ye / vouche sauf to heereaudire A tale of me / that am a poure man I wol yow telle / as wel as euere I kan A litel iape / that fil in oure Citee ¶ Oure hoost answerde / and seyde I graunte it thee Now tel on Roger / looke that it be good ffor many a pastee / hastow laten blood And many a Iakke of Douere / hastow soold That hath been twies hoot and twies coold Of many a pilgrym / hastow Cristes curs ffor of thy persle / yet they fare the wors That they han eten / with thy stubbul goos ffor in thy shoppe / is many a flye loos Now tel on / gentil Roger / by thy name But yet I praye thee / be nat wrooth for game A man may seye ful sooth / in game and pley ¶ Thow seist ful sooth / quod Roger by my fey But sooth pley quade pley / as the fflemyng seith And ther-fore herry Bailly / by thy feith Be thou nat wrooth / er we departen heer Thogh þat my tale / be of an hostiler But nathelees / I wol nat telle it yit But er we parte / ywis thow shalt be quyt And ther with al / he lough / and made cheere And seyde his tale / as ye shal after heere[Small break in the MS.] ¶ Here bigynneth the Cook his tale. A Prentis / whilom dwelled in oure Citee And of a craft of vitaillers was he Gaillard he was / as goldfynch in the shawe Broun as a berye / a propre short felawe With lokkes blake / ykembd ful fetisly Dauncen he koude / so wel and iolily That he / was clepyd Perkyn Reuelour He was / as ful / of loue and paramour As is the hyue / of hony swete Wel was the wenche / þat with hym myghte meete At euery bridale / wolde he synge and hoppe He loued bet the Tauerne / than the Shoppe ffor / whan ther any ridyng was in Chepe Out of the shoppe / thider wolde he lepe Til þat he hadde / al the sighte yseyn And daunced wel / he wolde noght come ageyn And gadred hym / a meynee of his sort To hoppe and synge / and maken swich disport And ther / they setten steuene / for to meete To pleyen at the dees / in swich a streete ffor in the town / nas ther no Prentys That fairer / koude caste a paire of dys Than Perkyn koude / and ther-to he was free Of his dispense / in place of pryuetee That foond his maister wel / in his chaffare ffor ofte tyme / he foond his box ful bare ffor sikerly / a prentys reuelour That haunteth dees / ryot or paramour His maister / shal it in his shoppe abye Al haue he / no part of the Minstralcye ffor thefte and riot / they been conuertible Al konne he pleye / on Giterne / or Rubible Reuel and trouthe / as in a lowe degree They been ful wrothe al day / as men may see ¶ This ioly Prentys / with his Maister bood Til he were neigh / out of his prentishood Al were he snybbed / bothe erly and late And som tyme / lad with reuel to Newgate But atte laste / his maister hym bithoghte Vp on a day / whan he his papir soghte Of a prouerbe / that seith this same word Wel bet is roten appul / out of hoord Than þat it rotte / al the remenaunt So fareth it / by a riotous seruaunt It is ful lasse harm / to lete hym pace Than he shende / alle the seruantz in the place Ther fore / his maister gaf hym acquitaunce And bad hym go / with sorw / and with meschaunce And thus this ioly prentys / hadde his leeue Now lat hym riote / al the nyght or leeue And for ther nys no theef / with-oute a lowke That helpeth hym / to wasten and to sowke Of that he brybe kan / or borwe may Anon / he sente his bed / and his array Vn to a compeer / of his owene sort That loued dees / and reuel / and disport And hadde a wyf / that heeld for contenaunce A shoppe / and swyued for hir sustenaunce Of this Cokes tale maked Chaucer na moore [in the left margin][Rest of the page blank.] GROUP D. FRAGMENT V. § 1. WIFE OF BATH'S PREAMBLE. HENGWRT MS. ¶ Here bigynneth the prologe of the tale of the Wyf of Bathe. Experience / thogh noon Auctoritee Were in this world / is right ynogh for me To speke of wo / that is in mariage ffor lordynges / sith þat I twelf yeer was of age Thonked be god / that is eterne on lyue. Housbondes atte chirche dore / I haue had fyue If I so ofte / myghte han wedded be And alle were worthy men / in hir degree But me was told certeyn / noght longe agon is That sith þat Crist ne wente neuere but onys To weddyng in the Cane of Galilee That by the same ensample / taughte he me That I ne sholde / wedded be but ones ¶ Herke eek / lo / which a sharp word for the nones Bisyde a welle / Ihesus / god and man Spak/ in repreeue of the Samaritan ¶ Thow hast yhad / fyue housbondes quod he And that ilke man / which that now hath thee Is nat thyn housbonde / thus he seyde certeyn. What that he mente ther-by / I kan nat seyn But þat I axe / why þat the fifthe man Was noon housbonde / to the Samaritan How manye / myghte she han in mariage Yet herde I neuere / tellen in myn age Vp-on this nombre / diffynycioun Men may dyuyne / and glosen vp & doun But wel I woot expres / with-outen lye God bad vs / for to wexe and multiplye That gentil text kan I wel vnderstonde ¶ Eek wel I woot he seyde þat myn housbonde Sholde lete / fader and moder/ and take to me But of no nombre / mencion made he Of Bigamye / or of Octogamye Why sholde men thanne / speke of it vileynye ¶ Lo here / the wise kyng Dann Salomon I trowe / he hadde wyues many oon As wolde god / it leueful were to me To be refresshed / half so ofte as he Which yifte of god hadde he / for alle hise wyuys No man hath swich / that in this world alyue is God woot this noble kyng as to my wit The firste nyght hadde many a murye fit With ech of hem / so wel was hym on lyue Blessed be god / that I haue wedded fyue Wel come the sixte / whan þat euere he shal ffor sith I wol nat kepe me / chaast in al Whan myn housbonde / is fro the world agon Som cristen man / shal wedde me anon ffor thanne thapostle seith / þat I am free To wedde a goddes half / where it liketh me He seith / that to be wedded is no synne Bet is to be wedded / than to brynne What rekketh me / theigh folk / seye vileynye Of shrewed Lameth / and his bigamye I woot wel / Abraham was an holy man And Iacob eek as fer as euere I kan And ech of hem / hadde wyues mo than two And many another / holy man also ¶ Where kan ye seye / in any maner age That heighe god / defended mariage By expres word / I pray yow telleth me Or where comanded he virgynytee I woot as wel as ye / it is no drede Thapostle / whan he speketh of maydenhede He seyde / that precept ther-of / hadde he noon Men may conseille a womman / to be oon But conseillyng nys no comandement He put it in oure owene Iuggement ffor hadde god / comanded maydenhede Thanne hadde he dampned weddyng with the dede And certes / if ther were no seed ysowe Virgynytee thanne / wher-of sholde it growe Poul dorste nat comanden / at the leeste A thyng of which / his mayster yaf noon heeste The dart/ is set vp for virgynytee Cacche who so may / who renneth best lat se But this word / is noght take of euery wight But ther as god / list yeue it of his myght I woot wel / that thapostle was a mayde But nathelees / thogh þat he wroot or sayde He wolde / that euery wight were swich as he Al nys but conseil / to virgynytee And for to been a wyf / he yaf me leue Of Indulgence / so nys it no repreue To wedde me / if that my make dye With-outen excepcion of bigamye Al were it good / no womman for to touche He mente / as in his bed / or in his couche ffor peril is / bothe fyr and tow tassemble Ye knowe / what this ensample may resemble This al and som / he heeld virgynytee Moore parfit than weddyng in freletee ffreletee clepe I / but if þat he and she Wolde leden / al hir lyf in chastitee I graunte it wel / I haue noon enuye Thogh maydenhede / preferre bigamye It liketh hem to be clene / in body and goost Of myn estat ne wol I make no boost ffor wel ye knowe / a lord in his houshold Ne hath nat euery vessel / al of gold Somme been of tree / and doon hir lord seruyse God clepeth folk to hym / in sondry wyse And euerich / hath of god a propre yifte Som this / som that as hym liketh shifte Virgynytee / is greet perfeccion And continence eek with deuocion But Crist that of perfeccion / is welle Bad nat euery wight he sholde go selle Al that he hadde / and yeue it to the poore And in swich wise / folwe hym and his foore He spak to hem / that wol lyue parfitly And lordynges / by youre leue / that am nat I I wol bistowe / the flour of al myn age In thactes / and in fruyt of mariage ¶ Telle me also / to what conclusionquestio! Were membres maad / of generacion And of so parfit wys a wight ywroght / Trusteth right wel / they were nat maad for noght Glose who so wole / and seye bothe vp and doun That they were maad / for purgacioun Of Vryne / and oure bothe thynges smale Was eek to knowe / a femelle/ from a male And for noon oother cause / sey ye / no? Thexperience / woot wel it is noght so So that the Clerkes / be nat with me wrothe I sey this / þat they maked been for bothe That is to seyn / for office and for ese Of engendrure / ther we nat god displese Why sholde men ellis / in hir bokes sette That man shal yelde / to his wyf hir dette Now wherwith / sholde he make his paiement If he ne vsed / his sely Instrument Thanne were they maad / vp-on a creature To purge vryne / and eek for engendrure ¶ But I seye noght þat euery wight is holde That hath swich harneys / as I to yow tolde To goon / and vsen hem in engendrure Thanne sholde men take / of Chastitee no cure Crist was a mayde / and shapen as a man And many a Seynt sith that the world bigan yet lyued they euere / in parfit Chastitee I nyl envie / no virgynytee Lat hem be breed / of pured whete seed And lat us wyues / hote Barlybreed And yet with Barlybreed / Mark telle kan Oure lord Ihesu / refresshed many a man In swich estat as god hath clepyd vs I wol perseuere / I nam nat precius In wifhode / wol I vse myn Instrument As frely / as my makere hath it sent If I be daungerous / god yeue me sorwe Myn housbonde / shal it han / bothe eue and morwe Whan that hym list com forth and paye his dette And housbonde / wol I haue / I wol nat lette Which shal be / bothe / my dettour and my thral And haue / his tribulacion / with-al Vp-on his flessh / whil that I am his wyf I haue the power / duryng al my lyf Vp-on his propre body / and nat he Right thus / thapostle / tolde it vn-to me And bad oure housbondes / for to loue vs wel Al this sentence / me liketh euery del Vp stirte the Pardoner / and that anon Now dame quod he / by god and by Seint Iohn Ye been a noble Prechour / in this cas I was aboute / to wedde a wyf allas What sholde I bye it / on my flessh so deere Yet hadde I leuere / wedde no wyf to yeere ¶ Abyd quod she / my tale is nat bigonne Nay / thow shalt drynken / of another tonne Er þat I go / shal sauoure wors than Ale And whan that I / haue toold thee forth my tale Of tribulacion / in maryage Of which I am expert in al myn age This is to seye / my self hath been the whippe Thanne maystow / chese / wheither þat thow wolt sippe Of thilke tonne / that I shal abroche Be war of it / er thow to neigh approche ffor I shal telle ensamples / mo than ten Who so þat nyle / be war/ by othere men By hym / shal othere men corrected be Thise same wordes / writeth Protholome Rede in his Almageste / and take it there ¶ Dame I wolde pray yow / if youre wyl it were Seyde this Pardoner / as ye bigan Telle forth youre tale / spareth for no man And techeth vs yonge men / of youre praktyke ¶ Gladly quod she / syn it may yow lyke But that I praye / to al this compaignye If that I speke / after my fantasye As taketh nat agrief / of that I seye ffor myn entente / nys but for to pleye Now sire / thanne wol I telle yow forth my tale As euere / moot I drynke / wyn or Ale I shal seye sooth / tho housbondes þat I hadde As three of hem were goode / and two were badde The thre men / were goode / and ryche / and olde Vnnethe myghte they / the Statut holde In which / that they were bounden vn-to me Ye woot wel / what I mene of this pardee As help me god / I laughe whan I thynke How pitously / a nyght I made hem swynke And by my fey / I tolde of it no stoor They hadde me yeuen / hir land and hir tresoor Me neded nat do lenger diligence To wynne hir loue / or doon hem reuerence They loued me so wel / by god aboue That I ne tolde / no deyntee of hir loue A wys womman / wol bisye hire / euere in oon To gete hir loue / ye ther as she hath noon But sith I hadde hem / hoolly in myn hond And sith that they / hadde yeuen me al hir lond What sholde I take kepe / hem for to plese But it were / for my profit and myn ese I sette hem awerk by my fey That many a nyght they songen weylawey The bacon / was nat fet for hem I trowe That som men han / in Essexe at Donmowe I gouerned hem / so wel after my lawe That ech of hem / ful blisful was and fawe To brynge me / gaye thynges fro the ffeyre They were ful glad / whan I spak to hem feyre ffor god it woot I chidde hem spitously ¶ Now herkneth / how I bar me proprely ye wise wyues / that konne vnderstonde Thus sholde ye speke / and bere hem wrong on honde ffor half so boldely / kan ther no man Swere and lye / as a womman kan I sey nat this / by wyues þat ben wyse But if it be / whan they hem mysauyse A wys wyf / if that she kan hir good Shal bere hym an hond / the Cow is wood And take witnesse / of hir owene mayde Of hire assent but herkneth how I sayde ¶ Sire olde kaynard / is this thyn array Why is / my Neghebores wyf so gay She is honoured / ouer al ther she goth I sitte at hoom / I haue no thrifty cloth What dostow / at my neghebores hous Is she so fair / artow so amorous What rowne ye with oure mayde / benedicite Sire olde lechour / lat thy Iapes be And if I haue / a gossib / or A freend With-outen gilt ye chiden as a feend If that I walke / or pleye vn-to his hous Thow comest hoom / as dronken as a mous And prechest on thy bench / with yuel preef Thow seyst to me / it is a greet mescheef To wedde a poure womman / for costage And if that she be ryche / of heigh parage Thanne seistow / that it is a tormentrye To suffre / hir pryde / and hir malencolye And if þat she be fair / thow verray knaue Thow seist that euery holour wol hire haue She may no while / in chastitee abyde That is assayled / vp-on ech a syde ¶ Thow seyst som folk / desiren vs for richesse Somme for oure shape / and somme for oure fairnesse And somme / for she kan outher synge / or daunce And somme / for gentillesse / and dalyaunce Somme for hir handes / and hir armes smale Thus goth al to the deuel / by thy tale Thow seyst/ men may nat kepe a Castel wal It may so longe / assaylled been ouer al And if that she be foul / thow seyst þat she Coueiteth euery man / that she may se ffor as a Spaynel / she wol on hym lepe Til that she fynde / som man hir to chepe Ne noon so grey goos / goth ther in the lake As seistow / wol be with-oute make And seyst it is an hard thyng/ for to wolde A thyng/ that no man wol his thankes holde Thus seistow lorel / whan thow goost to bedde And that no wys man / nedeth for to wedde Ne no man / that entendeth vn-to heuene With wilde thonder dynt and firy leuene Moote thy welked nekke / be to-broke Thow seyst that droppyng houses / and eek smoke And chidyng wyues / maken men to flee Out of hir owene houses / a benedicitee; What eyleth / swich an old man for to chide Thow seyst we wyues / wil oure vices hyde Til we be fast/ and thanne we wol hem shewe Wel may that be / a prouerbe of a shrewe Thow seist þat Oxen / Asses / hors / and houndes They been assayed / at dyuerse stoundes Bacynes / lauours / er that men hem bye Spoones / stooles / and al swich housbondrye And so be pottes / clothes / and array But folk/ of wyues / maken noon assay Til they be wedded / olde dotard shrewe And thanne seistow / we wil oure vices shewe Thow seist also / that it displeseth me But if that thow / wolt preise my beautee And but thow powre / alwey vp-on my face And clepe me faire dame / in euery place And but thow make a feeste / on thilke day That I was born / and make me fressh and gay And but thow do / to my norice honour And to my chambrere /· with-Inne my bour And to my fadres folk / and his allyes Thus seistow / olde barel ful of lyes And yet of oure Apprentice / Iankyn ffor his crispe heer / shynyng as gold so fyn And for he squyereth me / bothe vp and doun Yet hastow caught fals suspecioun I wil hym nat thogh thow were deed to morwe ¶ But tel me this / why hidestow with sorwe The keyes of thy Cheste / awey fro me It is my good / as wel as thyn pardee What wenestow / make an ydiote of oure dame Now by that lord / that called is Seint Iame Thow shalt noght bothe / thogh þat thow were wood Be maister / of my body / and my good That oon thow shalt forgo / maugree thyne eyen What helpeth it of me enquere and spyen I trowe / thow woldest lok me in thy chiste Thow sholdest seye / wyf/ go wher thee liste Taak youre disport I nyl leue no talis I knowe yow / for a trewe wyf/ Dame Alis We loue no man / that taketh kepe / or charge Wher þat we goon / we wol been at oure large Of alle men / yblessed moote he be The wise Astrologen / Daun Protholome That seith this prouerbe / in his Almageste Of alle men / his wisdom is hyeste That rekketh nat who hath the world in hond By this prouerbe / thow shalt vnderstonde Haue thow ynogh / what thar thee rekke / or care How myrily / that othere folkes fare ffor certes / olde dotard / by youre leue Ye shal han queynte / right ynogh at eue He is to greet a nygard / that wil werne A man to lighte a candle / at his lanterne He shal han / neuer the lasse light pardee Haue thow ynogh / thee thar nat pleyne thee ¶ Thow seist also / that if we make vs gay With clothyng and with precious array That it is peril / of oure chastitee And yet with sorwe / thow most enforce thee And seye thise wordes / in thapostles name In habit maad with chastitee and shame Ye wommen / shal apparaille yow quod he And nat in tressed heer / and gay perree As perlys / ne with gold / ne clothes ryche After thy text ne after thy rubryche I wol nat werke / as muche / as is a gnat Thow seydest this / þat I was lyk a Cat ffor who so wolde senge / a Cattes skyn Thanne wolde the Cat wel dwellen in his In And if the Cattes skyn / be slyk and gay She wol nat dwelle in house / half a day But forth she wole / er any day be dawed To shewe hir skyn / and goon a Caterwawed This is to seye / if I be gay sire shrewe I wol renne out my borel for to shewe Sire olde fool / what helpeth thee tespyen Thogh thow preye Argus / with his hundred eyen To be my wardecorps / as he kan best In feith / he shal nat kepe me / but me lest Yet koude I make his berd / as mote I thee ¶ Thow seydest eek þat ther ben thynges three The whiche thynges / troublen al this erthe And that no wight may endure the ferthe O leeue sire shrewe / Ihesu shorte thy lyf Yet prechestow / and seist an hateful wyf Yrekened is / for oon of thise myschaunces Been ther / noone othere resemblaunces That ye may likne / youre parables to But if a sely wyf be oon of tho ¶ Thow liknest eek / wommanes loue to helle To bareyne lond / ther water may nat dwelle Thow liknest it also / to wilde fyr The moore it brenneth / the moore it hath desyr To consumen euery thyng þat brent wol be Thow seist right as wormes shende a tree Right so a wyf / destroyeth hir housbonde This knowen they / that been to wyues bonde ¶ Lordynges / right thus / as ye han vnderstonde Bar I stifly / myne olde housbondes on honde That thus they seyden / in hir dronkenesse And al was fals / but that I took witnesse On Iankyn / and on my Nece also O lord / the pyne I dide hem / and the wo fful giltlees / by goddes swete pyne ffor as an hors / I koude byte and whyne I koude pleyne / and I was in the gilt Or ellis / often tyme / I hadde been spilt Who so that first to Mille comth / first grynt I pleyned first so was oure werre stynt They were ful glad / to excusen hem ful blyue Of thyng of which they neuere agilte hir lyue Of wenches / wolde I bern hem on honde Whan that for syk they myghte vnnethe stonde Yet tikled I his herte / for that he Wende that I hadde had of hym / so greet chiertee I swoor / that my walkyng out by nyghte Was for to espye / wenches that he dighte Vnder that colour / hadde I many a myrthe ffor al swich wit is yeuen vs in oure birthe Deceite / wepyng spynnyng god hath yeue To wommen kyndely / whil they may lyue And thus / of o thyng I auante me At ende / I hadde the bet in ech degree By sleighte / or force / or by som maner thyng As by continuel murmur / or grucchyng Namely abedde / hadden they meschaunce Ther wolde I chide / and do hem no plesaunce I wolde no lenger / in the bed abyde If that I felte his arm / ouer my syde Til he hadde maad / his raunceon vn-to me Thanne wolde I suffre hym / do his nycetee And ther-fore / euery man / this tale I telle Wynne who so may / for al is for to selle With empty hond / men may none haukes lure ffor wynnyng wolde I al his lust endure And make me / a feyned appetit And yet in bacon / hadde I neuere delit That made me / that euere I wolde hem chyde For thogh the Pope / hadde seten hem bisyde I wolde noght spare hem / at hir owene bord ffor by my trouthe / I quytte hem / word for word As help me / verray god omnipotent Togh I right now / sholde make my testament I ne owe hem nat a word / that it nys quyt I broghte it so aboute / by my wit That they moste yeue it vp / as for the beste Or ellis / hadde we neuere been in reste ffor thogh he looked / as a wood leon yet sholde he faille / of his conclusion ¶ Thanne wolde I seye / good lief taak keepe How mekely / looketh Wilkyn oure scheepe Com neer my spouse / lat me ba thy cheke Ye sholden be / al pacient / and meke And han / a swete spyced conscience Sith ye so preche / of Iobes pacience Suffreth alwey / syn ye so wel kan preche And but ye do / certeyn we shal yow teche That it is fair / to han a wyf in pees Oon of vs two / moste bowen doutelees And sith a man / is moore resonable Than womman is / ye mosten been suffrable What eyleth yow / to grucche thus and grone Is it for ye wolde haue / my queynte allone Wy taak it al / lo haue it euery del Peter I shrewe yow / but ye loue it wel ffor if I wolde selle / my bele chose I koude walke / as fressh as is a rose But I wol kepe it for youre owene tooth Ye be to blame / by god I sey yow sooth Swiche manere wordes / hadde we on honde Now wol I speke / of my ferthe housbonde My ferthe housbonde / was a reuelour This is to seyn he hadde a paramour And I was yong and ful of ragerye Stibourne and strong and ioly as a pye How koude I daunce / to an harpe smale And synge ywys / as any nyghtyngale Whan I hadde dronke / a draghte of swete wyn Metellyus / the foule cherl the swyn That with a staf / birafte his wyf hir lyf ffor she drank wyn /. though I hadde been his wyf Ne sholde nat han daunted me fro drynke And after wyn / on Venus moste I thynke ffor also siker / as coold engendreth hayl A likerous mouth / moste han a likerous tayl In womman vynolent / is no defence This knowen lechours / by experience But lord crist whan þat it remembreth me Vp-on my youthe / and on my iolytee It tikeleth me / aboute myn herte roote Vn-to this day / it dooth myn herte boote That I haue had my world / as in my tyme But age allas / that al wole enuenyme Hath me biraft my beautee / and my pith Lat go farwel / the deuel go ther-with The flour is goon / ther is namoore to telle The bren as I best kan / now moste I selle But yet to be right murye / wol I fonde Now wol I tellen / of my ferthe housbonde ¶ I seye I hadde in herte gret despit That he / of any oother had delit But he was quyt by god and by Seint Ioce I made hym / of the same wode a troce Nat of my body / in no foul manere But certeynly / I made folk swich chiere That in his owene grece / I made hym frye ffor angre / and for verray Ialousye By god / in erthe / I was his purgatorie ffor which I hope / his soule be in glorie ffor god it woot he sat ful ofte and soong Whan þat his shoo / ful bitterly hym wroong Ther was no wight/ saue god and he / þat wiste In many wise / how soore I hym twiste He deyde / whan I cam fro Ierusalem And lyth ygraue / vnder the roode beem Al is his toumbe / noght so curyus As was the sepulcre / of hym Daryus Which that Appellus / wroghte subtilly It nys but wast to burye hym preciously Lat hym fare wel / god gyue his soule reste He is now / in his graue / and in his cheste Now / of my fifthe housbonde / wol I telle God lat his soule / neuere come in helle And yet was he to me / the mooste shrewe That feele I / on my rybbes al by rewe And euere shal / vn-to myn endyng day But in oure bed / he was so fressh and gay And ther with al / so wel koude he me glose Whan that he wolde / han my bele chose That thogh he hadde me bet on euery bon He koude wynne agayn / my loue anon I trowe I loued hym best for that he Was of his loue / daungerous to me We wommen han / if that I shal nat lye In this matere / a queynte fantasye Wayte what thyng we may nat lightly haue Ther after / wol we crye al day / and craue fforbede vs thyng and that desiren we Preesse on vs faste / and thanne wol we fle With daunger / oute we / al oure chaffare Greet prees at Market / maketh deere ware And to greet cheepe / is holden at litel prys This knoweth euery womman / that is wys ¶ My fifthe housbonde / god his soule blesse Which þat I took for loue / and no rychesse He som tyme / was a clerk of Oxenford And hadde laft scole / and wente at hom to bord With my gossyb / dwellyng in oure town God haue hir soule / hir name was Alisoun She knew myn herte / and eek my pryuetee Bet than oure parysshe preest as mote I thee To hire biwreyed I / my conseil al ffor hadde myn housbonde / pissed on a wal Or doon a thyng / that sholde haue cost his lyf To hire / and to another worthy wyf And to my Nece / which þat I loued wel I wolde han toold / his conseil euery del And so I dide / ful often / god it woot That made his face / often reed and hoot ffor verray shame / and blamed hym self for he Hadde toold to me / so greet a pryuetee ¶ And so bifel / that ones in a lente So often tymes / I to my gossyb wente ffor euere yet I louede to be gay And for to walke / in March / Auerylle / and May ffrom hous to hous / to here sondry tales That Iankyn Clerk/ and my gossyb dame Alys And I my self / in to the feeldes wente Myn housbonde was at london / al that lente I hadde / the bettre leyser for to pleye And for to se / and eek for to be seye Of lusty folk what wiste I wher my grace Was shapen for to be / or in what place Ther-fore / I made my visitacions To Vigilies / and to processions To prechyng eek / and to thise pilgrymages To pleyes of myracles / and to mariages And wered vp on / my gaye scarlet gytes Thise wormes / ne thise moththes / ne thise Mytes Vp-on my peril / frete hem neuer a del And wostow / why / for they were vsed wel ¶ Now wol I tellen forth / what happed me I seye / that in the feeldes walked we Til trewely / we hadde swich daliaunce This clerk/ and I / that of my purueiaunce I spak to hym / and seyde hym / how that he If I were wydewe / sholde wedde me ffor certeynly / I seye for no bobaunce Yet was I neuere / with-outen purueiaunce Of mariage / nof othere thynges eek / I holde a mouses herte / noght worth a leek That hath but oon hole / for to sterte to And if that faille / thanne is al y-do [I bar him on honde / he had enchaunted me My Dame taught me / that sotilte And eke I seide / I mette of him al nyght He wold han slayn me / as I lay vp right And al my bed / was ful of verray blod But ȝet I hope / that ȝe shuln do me good ffor blod bytokeneth gold / as me was taught And al was fals / I dremed of it right nought But as I folwed ay / my dames loore As wel of that / as of othere thynges more.[, line 21][Not in B. M. Addit. 5140, lf 96, bk; or Harl. 7335, lf 68, bk; or Harl. 1758, lf 95; or Sloane 1685, lf 110, bk; MS Reg. 18 C ii, lf 112; Sloane 1686, lf 127, bk; (Preamble not in Harl. 1239; Pr. and Tale not in Shirley's Harl. 7333;) not in Camb. Univ. MS Mm 2. 5.][Camb. Dd. 4. 24 extract stops]] But now sire / lat me se / what shal I seyn A .ha. by god / I haue my tale ageyn ¶ Whan that my fourthe housbonde / was a beere I weep algate / and made sory cheere As wyues mooten / for it is vsage And with my couerchief / couered my visage But for that I was / purueyed of a make I wepte but smal / and that I vndertake ¶ To chirche was myn housbonde / born a morwe With neghebores / that for hym maden sorwe And Iankyn oure clerk / was oon of tho As help me god / whan that I saw hym go After the beere / me thoughte he hadde a payre Of legges and of feet so clene and fayre That al myn herte / I gaf vn-to his hoold He was I trowe / twenty wynter oold And I was fourty / if I shal seye sooth But yit I hadde alwey / a coltes tooth Gat tothed I was / & that bicam me weel I hadde the preente / of Seynt Venus seel As help me god I was a lusty oon And fayr/ and ryche / and yong and wel bigoon And trewely / as myne housbondes tolde me I hadde the beste quonyam / myghte be [ffor certes I am / al Vencrien In feelyng / and myn hert is Marcien Venus me ȝaf my lust / my likerousnesse And Mars ȝaf me / my sturdy hardynesse[ , line 9][Not in Addit. 5140, lf 96, bk; or Harl. 7335, lf 69; or Sloane 1685, lf 111; MS Reg. 18 C ii, lf 112, bk; Sloane 1686, lf 128; or Cambr. Mm. 2. 5.]] Myn ascendent was Taur / and Mars ther-Inne Allas / allas / that euere loue was synne I folwed ay / myn Inclinacion By vertu / of my constellacion That made me / I koude noght withdrawe My chambre of Venus / from a good felawe [Ȝet haue I Mars merk / vp-on my face And also / in a nother pryue place ffor god so wysely / be my sauacioun I louede neuere / by no discrecioun But euere folwed / myn appetit Al were he short / long blak or whiȝt I toke no kepe / so that he liked me How poore he was / ne eke of what degree , line 19][Not in Addit. 5140, lf 96, bk; or Harl. 7335, lf 69; or Sloane 1685, lf 111; MS Reg. 18 C ii, lf 112, bk; Sloane 1686, lf 128; or Cambr. Mm. 2. 5.][MS Dd. 4. 24 ex|tract stops]] ¶ What sholde I seye / but at the Monthes ende This ioly clerk / Iankyn þat was so hende Hath wedded me / with greet solempnytee And to hym yaf I / al the lond and fee That euere was me yeuen / ther bifore But afterward / repented me ful sore He nolde suffre / no thyng of my list By god / he smoot me ones / on the lyst ffor that I rente / out of his book a leef That of the strook/ myn ere weex al deef Stibourne I was / as is a leonesse And of my tonge / a verray Iangleresse And walke I wolde / as I hadde doon biforn ffrom hous to hous / al-thogh he hadde it sworn ffor which / he often tymes / wolde preche And me / of olde Romayn gestes teche How he Symplicius Gallus / lafte his wif And hire forsook for terme of al his lif Noght but for open heueded he hir say Lokynge out at his dore / vp-on a day ¶ Another Romayn / tolde he me by name That for his wyf / was at a Someres game With-outen his wityng / he forsook hire eke And thanne wolde he / vp-on his Bible seke That ilke prouerbe / of Ecclesiaste Where he comandeth / and forbedeth faste Man shal nat suffre his wyf / go roule aboute Thanne wold he seye right thus / with-outen doute Who so þat buyldeth his hous / al of salwesnota And priketh his blynde hors / ouer the falwesnota And suffreth his wyf / to go seken halwesnota Is worthy / to ben hanged on the galwesnota But al for noght I sette noght an hawe Of his prouerbe / nof his olde sawe Ny wolde nat of hym corrected be I hate hym / þat my vices telleth me And so doon mo / god woot of vs than I This made hym / with me wood al outrely I nolde noght forbere hym / in no cas ¶ Now wol I sey yow sooth / by Seint Thomas Why þat I rente / out of his book a leef ffor which / he smoot me so / þat I was deef He hadde a book/ þat gladly nyght and day ffor his disport he wolde rede alway He clepyd it Valerie and Theofraste At which book/ he logh alwey ful faste And eek ther was / som tyme a clerk at Rome A Cardynal / that highte Seint Ierome That made a book agayn Iovinian In which book eek ther was Tertulan Crisippus / Trotula / and Helowys That was Abbesse / nat fer fro Parys And eek the parables / of Salomon Ouydes art and bokes many on And alle thise were bounden / in o volume And euery nyght and day / was his custume Whan he hadde leyser / and vacacion ffrom oother / worldly ocupacion To reden in this book of wikked wyues He knew of hem / mo legendes and lyues Than been of goode wyues in the Bible ffor trusteth wel / it is an inpossible That any clerk wol speke good of wyues But if it be / of holy seintes lyues Nof noon oother womman / neuer the mo Who peynted the leon / tel me who By god / if wommen / hadden writen stories As clerkes han / with-Inne hir oratories They wolde han writen of men / moore wikkednesse Than al the mark of Adam may redresse The children / of Mercurie and Venus Been in hir wirkyng/ ful contrarius Mercurie loueth / wysdam and science And Venus loueth / Riot and dispence And for hir diuerse / disposicion Ech faileth / in ootheres exaltacion And thus god woot Mercurie is desolat In pisces / wher venus is exaltat And venus faileth / ther Mercurie is reysed Ther-fore no womman / of no clerk is preysed The clerk whan he is old / and may noght do Of venus werkes / worth his olde sho Thanne sit he doun / and writ in his dotage That wommen / kan nat kepe hir mariage ¶ But now to purpos / why I tolde thee That I was beten / for a book pardee Vp-on a nyght Iankyn þat was oure sire Redde on his book/ as he sat by the fire Of Eua first/ þat for hir wikkednesse Was al mankynde / broght to wrecchednesse [ffor which that ihesu crist/him self was slayn That bought vs / with his hert blod a-gayn[Not in Mm. 2. 5; not in Harl. 7335, lf 70, bk; Harl. 1758, lf 96; Ad. 5140, lf 98; Sloane 1685, lf 112, bk; Sloane 1686, lf 129, bk.] Loo heere expres of wommen / may ȝe fynde That womman was the losse/of al mankynde , l. 26]] ¶ Tho redde he me / how Sampson loste his herys Slepynge / his lemman kitte it with hir sherys Thurgh which treson / loste he bothe hise eyen ¶ Tho redde he me / if that I shal nat lyen Of hercules / and of his Dianyre That caused hym / to sette hym self a fyre ¶ No thyng forgat he / the sorwe and wo That Socrates / hadde with his wyues two How Xantippa / caste pisse vp-on his heed This sely man sat stille / as he were deed He wipte his heed / namoore dorste he seyn But er that thonder stynte / comth a reyn ¶ Of Phasifpha / that was the queene of Crete ffor shrewednesse / hym thoughte the tale swete ffy spek namoore / it is a grisly thyng Of hire horrible lust and hir likyng ¶ Of Clitermystra / for hir lecherye That falsly / made hir housbonde for to dye He redde it with ful good deuocioun ¶ He tolde me eek for what occasioun Amphiorax / at Thebes loste his lyf Myn housbonde / hadde a legende of his wyf ¶ Exiphilem / that for an Ouche of gold Hath priuely / vn-to the grekys told Wher þat hir housbonde / hidde hym in a place ffor which / he hadde at Thebes sory grace ¶ Of lyma tolde he me / and of lucie They bothe / made hir housbondes for to dye That oon for loue / that oother was for hate Lyma hir housbonde / on an euen late Empoysoned hath / for þat she was his fo Lucya likerous / loued hir housbonde so That for he sholde alwey / vp-on hir thynke She yaf hym / swich a manere loue drynke That he was deed / er it were by the morwe And thus algates / housbondes han sorwe ¶ Thanne tolde he me / how þat oon latumyus Compleygned / vn-to his felawe Arrius That in his gardyn / growed swich a tree On which he seyde / how þat hise wyues thre Honged hem self / for hertes despitus ¶ O leeue brother / quod this Arrius yif me a plante / of thilke blessed tree And in my gardyn / planted shal it be ¶ Of latter date of wyues / hath he red That somme han slayn / hir housbondes in hir bed And lete hir lechour / dighte hire al the nyght Whan þat the corps / lay in the floor vp ryght ¶ And somme / han dryuen nayles in hir brayn Whil þat they sleepe / and thus they han hem slayn ¶ Somme han hem yeuen poysoun / in hir drynke He spak moore harm / than herte may bithynke And ther with al / he knew of mo prouerbes Than in this world / ther growen gras or herbes Bet is quod he / thyn habitacioun Be with a leon / or a foul dragoun Than with a womman / vsyng for to chide Bet is quod he / hye in the roof abyde Than with an angry wyf / down in the hous They been so wikked / and contrarious They haten / that hir housbondes loueth ay He seyde / a womman / cast hir shame away Whan she cast of hir smok and forther mo A fair womman / but she be chaast also Is lyk a gold ryng in a sowes nose Who wolde wene / or who wolde suppose The wo / that in myn herte was and pyne ¶ And whan I say / he wolde neuere fyne To reden / on this cursed book al nyght Al sodeynly / thre leues / haue I plyght Out of his book right as he radde / and eke I with my fist so took [him] on the cheke That in oure fyr/ he fil bakward adown And he vp stirte / as dooth a wood leoun And with his fest/ he smoot me on the heed That in the floor / I lay as I were deed And whan he say / how stille þat I lay He was agast and wolde haue fled his way Til atte laste / out of my swowgh I brayde O hastow slayn me / false theef I sayde And for my land / thus hastow mordred me Er I be deed / yet wol I kisse thee ¶ And neer he cam / and kneled faire adown And seyde / deere suster Alisoun As help me god / I shal thee neuere smyte That I haue doon / it is thy self to wyte fforyeue it me / and that I thee biseke And yet eft soones / I hitte hym on the cheke And seyde theef/ thus muchel am I wreke Now wol I dye / I may no lenger speke ¶ But at the laste / with muchel care and wo We fille acorded / by vs seluen two He yaf me / al the brydel in myn hond To han the gouernance / of hous and lond And of his tonge / and his hond also And made hym brenne his book anon right tho And whan that I hadde / geten vn-to me By maistrye / al the soueraynetee And þat he seyde / myn owene trewe wyf Do as thee lust the terme of al thy lyf Keepe thyn honour / and keepe eek myn estaat After that day / we hadde neuere debaat/ God help me so / I was to hym as kynde As any wyf / from Denmark vn-to Inde And also trewe / and so was he to me I pray to god / that sit in magestee So blesse his soule / for his mercy deere Now wol I seye my tale / if ye wol heere [The Wrangle between the Summoner and Friar.] The frere logh / whan he hadde herd al this Now dame quod he / so haue I ioye / or blys This is a long preamble / of a tale And whan the Somnour / herde the frere gale ¶ Lo quod the Somnour / goddes armes two A frere / wol entremette hym euere mo Loo goode men / a flye / and eek a frere Wol falle in euery dyssh and matere What spekestow / of preambulacioun What amble / or trotte / or pees / or go sit doun Thow lettest oure disport in this manere ¶ Ye woltow so / sir Somnour / quod the frere Now by my feith / I shal er that I go Telle of a Somnour / swich a tale / or two That al the folk/ shal laughen in this place ¶ Now ellis frere / I wol bishrewe thy face Quod this Somnour / and I bishrewe me But if I telle tales / two or thre Of freres / er I come to Sydyngborne That I shal make / thyn herte for to morne ffor wel I woot thy pacience is gon ¶ Oure hoost cryde pees / and that anon And seyde / lat the womman / telle hir tale Ye fare as folk/ that dronken ben of Ale Do dame / tel forth youre tale / and that is best ¶ Al reddy sire quod she / right as yow lest If I haue licence / of this worthy frere ¶ Yis dame quod he / tel forth / and I wol heere ¶ Here endeth the prologe of the Wyf of Bathe. ¶ Here bigynneth the tale / of the Wyf of Bathe . IN tholde dayes / of the kyng Arthour Of which that Britons / speken greet honour Al was this land / fulfild of ffairye The Elf queene / with hir ioly compaignye Daunced ful ofte / in many a grene mede This was / the olde opynyon / as I rede I speke / of many hundred yerys ago But now kan no man / se none Elues mo ffor now the grete charitee / and prayeres Of lymytours / and othere holy freres That serchen / euery lond and euery streem As thikke / as motes in the sonne beem Blessynge halles / chambres / kichenes boures Citees / Burghes / Castels / hye Toures Thropes / Bernes / Shipnes / dayeryes This maketh / þat ther been no fairyes ffor ther as wont to walken was an Elf Ther walketh now / the lymytour hym self In vndermelys / and in morwenynges And seith his matyns / and his holy thynges As he gooth / in his lymytacioun Wommen / may go saufly vp and down In euery bussh / or vnder euery tree Ther is noon oother Incubus / but he And he ne wol doon hem / but dishonour ¶ And so bifel / that this kyng Arthour Hadde in his hous / a lusty Bachiler That on a day / cam ridyng fro Ryuer And happed that allone / as he was born He say a mayde / walkynge hym biforn Of which mayde / anoon maugree hir hed By verray force / he rafte hir maydenhed ffor which oppressioun / was swich clamour And swich pursuyte / vn-to the kyng Arthour That dampned was this knyght/ for to be deed By cours of lawe / and sholde han lost his heed Par auenture / swich was the statut tho But that the queene / and othere ladyes mo So longe preyden / the kyng of grace Til he his lyf / hym graunted in the place And yaf hym to the queene / al at hir wille To chese / wheither she wolde / hym saue or spille The queen thanked the kyng with al hir might And after this / thus spak she to the knyght Whan that she saw / hir tyme vp-on a day Thow standest yet quod she / in swich array That of thy lyf / yet hastow no suretee I graunte thee lyf / if thow kanst tellen me What thyng is it þat wommen moost desiren Be war / and keepe thy nekke boon from Iren And if thow kanst nat / tellen me anon Yet wol I yeue thee leue / for to gon A twelf monthe and a day / to seche and lere An answere suffisant in this matere And seuretee wol I han / er that thow pace Thy body / for to yelden / in this place ¶ Wo was this knyght/ and sorwefully he siketh But what he may nat doon / al as hym liketh And atte laste / he chees hym for to wende And come agayn / right at the yeres ende With swich answere / as god wolde hym purueye And taketh his leue / and wendeth forth his weye He seketh euery hous / and euery place Where as he hopeth / for to fynde grace To lerne / what thyng wommen loue moost But he ne koude / arryuen in no coost Where as he myghte fynde / in this matere Two creatures / acordyng in feere ¶ Somme seyden / wommen louen best richesse Somme seyde honour / somme seyde Iolifnesse Somme riche array / somme lust abeddo And ofte tyme / to be widwe and wedde Somme seyde / that oure herte / is moost esed Whan that we been / yflatered and yplesed He gooth ful ny the sothe / I wol nat lye A man shal wynne vs best / with flaterye And with attendaunce / and with bisynesse Been we ylymed / bothe moore and lesse ¶ And somme seyn / þat we louen best ffor to be free / and do as vs lest And that no man / repreue vs of oure vice But seye þat we be wise / and no thyng nyce ffor trewely / ther is noon of vs alle If any wight wolde clawe vs on the galle That we nyl like / for he seith vs sooth Assay / and he shal fynde it that so dooth ffor be we / neuer so vicious / with-Inne We wol be holden wise / and clene of synne ¶ And somme seyn / that greet delit han we ffor to be holden / stable and eek secree And in o purpos / stedefastly to dwelle And nat biwreye thyng that men vs telle But that tale / is nat worth a Rake stele Pardee / we wommen / konne no thyng hele Witnesse on Mida / wol ye heere the tale ¶ Ouyde / amonges othere thynges smale Seyde / Mida / hadde vnder his longe herys Growynge vp on his heed / two Asses erys The which vice he hidde / as he best myghte fful sotilly / from euery mannes sighte That saue his wyf / ther wiste of it na mo He loued hire moost and trusted hire also He preyed hire / that to no creature She sholde tellen / of his diffigure ¶ She swoor hym nay / for al this world to wynne She nolde do / that vileynye / or syn To make hir housbonde / han so foul a name She nolde nat telle it for hir owene shame But nathelees / hir thoughte þat she dyde That she so longe / sholde a conseil hyde Hir thoughte / it swal so soore aboute hir herte That nedely / som word / hir moste asterte And sith / she dorste nat telle it to no man Doun to a Marys / faste by she ran Til she cam there / hir herte was a fyre And as a Bitore / bombleth in the Myre She leyde hir mouth / vn-to the water down Biwrey me nat thow water with thy sown Quod she / to thee I telle it and namo Myn housbonde / hath longe Asses erys two Now is myn herte al hool / now it is oute I myghte no lenger / kepe it out of doute Heere may ye see / thogh we a tyme abyde Yet out it moot we kan no conseil hyde The remenant of the tale / if ye wol heere Redeth Ouyde / and ther ye may it leere ¶ This knyght of which my tale is specially Whan that he say / he myghte nat come ther by This is to seye / what wommen louen moost With-Inne his brest ful sorweful was the goost But hom he gooth / he myghte nat soiorne The day was come / that homward moste he torne And in his wey / it happed hym to ryde In al this care / vnder a fforest syde Wher as he say / vp on a daunce go Of ladyes .xxiiij. and yet mo Toward the whiche daunce / he drow ful yerne In hope / that som wisdom sholde he lerne But certeynly / er he cam fully there · Vanysshed was this daunce / he nyste where No creature say he / that bar lyf Saue on the grene / he say sittynge a wyf A fouler wight ther may no man deuyse Agayn the knyght this olde wyf gan ryse And seyde sire knyght heer forth ne lyth no wey Tel me / what þat ye seken by youre fey Par auenture / it may the bettre be This olde folk konne muchel thyng quod she ¶ My leeue moder / quod this knyght certeyn I nam but deed / but if that I kan seyn What thyng it is / that wommen moost desire Koude ye me wisse / I wolde wel quyte youre hyre ¶ Plight me thy trouthe / here in myn hand quod she The nexte thyng that I requere thee Thow shalt it do / if it lye in thy myght And I wol telle it yow / er it be nyght ¶ Haue here my trouthe / quod the knyght I graunte ¶ Thanne quod she / I dar me wel auaunte Thy lyf is sauf/ for I wole stonde ther by Vp-on my lyf/ the queene wol seye as I Lat see / which is the prouddeste of hem alle That wereth on / a couerchief / or a calle That dar seye nay / of that I shal thee teche Lat vs go forth / with-outen lenger speche Tho rowned she / a pistel in his ere And bad hym to be glad / and haue no fere ¶ Whan they be comen to the Court this knyght Seyde / he hadde holde his day / as he had hight And redy was his answere / as he sayde fful many a noble wyf and many a mayde And many a widwe / for þat they ben wise The queene hir self / sittyng as Iustise Assembled been / this answere for to here And afterward / this knyght was bode appere To euery wight comanded was silence And that the knyght sholde telle in audience What thyng that worldly wommen louen best This knyght ne stood nat stille as dooth a best But to his question / anon answerde With manly voys / that al the court it herd ¶ My lige lady / generally quod he Wommen desire / to haue souereyntee As wel / ouer hir housbonde / as hir loue And for to been in maistrie / hym aboue This is youre mooste desir / thogh ye me kille Dooth as yow list I am here at youre wille ¶ In al the Court ne was ther wyf ne mayde Ne wydwe / that contraryed that he sayde But seyden / he was worthy han his lyf ¶ And with that word / vp stirte that olde wyf Which that the knyght say sittyng on the grene Mercy quod she / my souereyn lady queene Er that youre Court departe / do me right I taughte this answere / vn-to the knyght ffor which / he plighte me his trouthe there The firste thyng I wolde hym requere He wolde it do / if it laye in his myght Bifore the court thanne preye I thee sire knyght Quod she / that thow me take vn-to thy wyf ffor wel thow woost that I haue kept thy lyf If I seye fals / sey nay vp-on thy fey ¶ This knyght answerde / allas and weilawey I woot right wel / that swich was my biheste ffor goddes loue / as chees a newe requeste Taak al my good / and lat my body go ¶ Nay thanne quod she / I shrewe vs bothe two ffor thogh þat I be foul / old / and poore I nolde for al the metal / ne for oore That vnder erthe is graue / or lith aboue But if thy wyf I were / and eek thy loue ¶ My loue quod he / nay my dampnacion Allas / that any of my nacion Sholde euere / so foule disparaged be But al for noght thende is this / that he Constreyned was / he nedes moste hir wedde And taketh his olde wyf / and goth to bedde ¶ Now wolden som men / seye par auenture That for my necligence / I do no cure To tellen yow / the ioye / and al tharray That at the feste / was that ilke day To which thyng shortly / answere I shal I seye / ther nas no ioye / ne feste at al Ther nas but heuynesse / and muche sorwe ffor priuely / he wedded hire on morwe And al day after / hidde hym as on Owle So wo was hym / his wyf looked so foule ¶ Greet was the wo / the knyght hadde in his thoght Whan he was with his wyf / a bedde ybroght He walweth / and he turneth to and fro His olde wyf/ lay smylyng euere mo And seyde / o deere housbonde benedicite ffareth euery knyght thus with his wyf/ as ye Is this the lawe / of kyng Arthures hous Is euery knyght of his / thus daungerous I am youre owene loue / and youre wyf I am she / which that saued hath youre lyf And certes / yet ne dide I yow neuere vnright Why fare ye thus with me / this firste nyght Ye faren lyk a man / hadde lost his wit What is my gilt/ for goddes loue tel it And it shal ben amended / if I may ¶ Amended quod this knyght allas nay / nay It wol nat ben amended neuere mo Thow art so loothly / and so old also And ther-to comen / of so lowe a kynde That litel wonder is / thogh I walwe and wynde So wolde god / myn herte wolde breste ¶ Is this quod she / the cause of youre vnreste ¶ Ye certeynly quod he / no wonder is ¶ Now sire quod she / I koude amende al this If that me liste / er it were dayes thre So wel ye myghte / bere yow vn-to me ¶ But for ye speken of swich gentillesse¶ Nota bene. As is descended / out of old richesse That therfore / sholden ye be gentil men Swich errogance / is nat worth an hen Looke who þat is / moost vertuous alway Pryuee and apert and moost entendeth ay To do / the gentil dedes / þat he kan Taak hym / for the gentileste man Crist / wol we clayme of hym oure gentilesse Nat of oure eldres / for hir old richesse ffor thogh they yeue vs / al hir heritage ffor which we clame / to been of hir parage Yet may they nat biquethe / for no thyng To noon of vs / hir vertuous lyuyng That made hem / gentil men ycalled be And bad vs / folwen hem in swich degree ¶ Wel kan / the wise poete of fflorence That highte Dant speken in this sentence Lo / in swich manere rym / is Dantes tale fful selde vp riseth / by his branches smale Prowesse of man / for god of his prowesse Wole /. that of hym / we clayme oure gentilesse ffor of oure eldres / may we no thyng clayme But temporel thyng that man may hurte and mayme Eek euery wight woot this as wel I If gentilesse / were planted naturelly Vn-to a certeyn lynage / doun the lyne Pryuee and apert thanne wolde they neuere fyne To doon / of gentilesse / the faire office They myghte do / no vileynye or vice ¶ Taak fyr / and bere it in the derkeste hous Bitwix this / and the mount of kaukasous And lat men shette the dores / and go thenne Yet wol the fyr / as faire lye and brenne As twenty thousand men / myghte it biholde His office naturel / ay wol it holde Vp peril of my lyf til that it dye Here may ye se wel / how þat genterye Is nat annexed / to possession Sith folk ne doon hir operacion Alwey / as dooth the fyr lo in his kynde ffor god it woot men may wel often fynde A lordes sone / do shame and vileynye And he þat wol han prys / of his gentrye ffor he was born / of a gentil hous And hadde hise eldres / noble and vertuous And nyl hym seluen / do no gentil dedis Ne folwen his gentil Auncestre / that deed is He nys nat gentil / be he duc or Erl ffor vileynes synful dedes / maken a cherl ffor gentilesse / nys but renomee Of thyne Auncestres / for hir hye bountee Which is straunge thyng for thy persone Thy gentilesse / cometh fro god allone Thanne comth / oure verray gentilesse of grace It was no thyng biquethe vs / with oure place Thenketh how noble / as seith Valerius Was thilke / Tullius hostillius That out of pouerte / roos to heigh noblesse Redeth Senek and redeth eek Boece Ther shul ye seen expres / þat no drede is That he is gentil / that dooth gentil dedis And ther-fore / leue housbonde / I thus conclude Al were it that myne Auncestres weren rude Yet may the hye god / and so hope I / Graunte me grace / to lyuen vertuously Thanne am I gentil / whan þat I bigynne To lyuen vertuously / and weyue synne ¶ And ther as ye / of pouerte me repreue The hye god / on whom þat we bileue In wilful pouerte / chees to lyue his lyf And certes euery man / mayden / or wyf May vnderstonde / þat Ihesus heuene kyng Ne wolde nat chese / a vicious lyuyng Glad pouerte / is an honeste thyng certeyn This wol Senek and othere clerkes seyn Who so þat halt hym payd / of his pouerte I holde hym riche / al hadde he nat a sherte He that coueiteth / is a poure wight ffor he wolde han / that is nat in his myght But he þat noght hath / ne coueiteth haue Is riche / al thogh we holde hym but a knaue Verray pouerte / is synne proprely Iuuenal seith / of pouerte myrily ¶ The poure man / whan he gooth by the weye Biforn the theues / he may synge and pleye Pouerte is hateful good / and as I gesse A ful greet bryngere / out of bisynesse A greet amendere eek of Sapience To hym / that taketh it in pacience Pouerte is thyng al thogh it seme elenge Possession / that no wight wol chalenge Pouerte ful often / whan a man is lowe Maketh hym self / and eek his god to knowe Pouerte / a spectacle is / as thynketh me Thurgh which he may / his verray freendes se And ther-fore sire / syn þat I noght yow greue Of my pouerte / namoore ye me repreue ¶ Now sire / of elde ye repreue me And certes sire / thogh noon auctoritee Were in no book/ ye gentils of honour Seyn / þat men an old wight sholde doon fauour And clepe hym fader / for youre gentilesse And Auctours / shal I fynden / as I gesse ¶ Now ther ye seye / that I am foul and old Thanne drede yow noght to been a Cokewold ffor filthe and elde / al-so mote I thee Been grete wardeyns / vp-on chastitee But nathelees / syn I knowe youre delit/ I shal fulfille / youre worldly appetit ¶ Chees now quod she / oon of thise thinges tweye To han me foul and old / til that I deye And be to yow / a trewe humble wyf And neuere yow displese / in al my lyf Or ellis / ye wol han me / yong and fair And take youre auenture / of the repair That shal be to youre hous / by cause of me Or in som oother place / may wel be Now chees your seluen / wheither þat yow liketh ¶ This knyght auyseth hym / and soore siketh But atte laste / he seyde in this manere My lady and my loue / and wyf so deere I putte me / in youre wise gouernance Cheseth youre self which þat may be moost plesance And moost honour to yow / and me also I do no fors / the wheither of the two ffor as yow liketh / it suffiseth me ¶ Than haue I gete / of yow maistrye / quod she Syn I may chese / and gouerne as me lest ¶ Ye certes wyf quod he / I holde it best ¶ Kys me quod she / we be no lenger wrothe ffor by my trouthe / I wol be to yow bothe This is to seyn / ye bothe fair and good I pray to god / that I mote steruen wood But I to yow / be al so good and trewe As euere was wyf/ syn þat the world was newe And but I be to morn / as fair to sene Ay any lady / Emperice / or Queene That is bitwix the Est and eek the West Do with my lyf/ and deth / right as yow lest Cast vp the Curtyn / looke how þat it is And whan the knyght say verraily al this That she so fair was / and so yong ther-to ffor ioye he hente hire / in his armes two His herte bathed / in a bath of blisse A thousand tyme a rewe / he gan hir kisse And she obeyed hym / in euery thyng That myghte do hym plesance / or likyng And thus they lyue / vn-to hir lyues ende In parfit ioye / and Ihesu crist vs sende Housbondes meke / yonge / and fressh a bedde And grace / touerbyde hem that we wedde And eek/ I praye Ihesu shorte hir lyues That noght wol be gouerned / by hir wyues And olde / and angry nygardes of dispence God sende hem soone / verray pestilence ¶ Here endeth the Wyues tale of Bathe ¶ The prologe of the ffreres tale[on leaf73, back] This worthy lymytour / this noble frere He made al wey / a manere louryng cheere Vp on the Somnour / but for honestee No vileyns word / as yet to hym spak he But atte laste / he seyde vn-to the wyf Dame quod he / god yeue yow right good lyf Ye han heer touched / al so mote I thee In scole matere / greet difficultee Ye han seyd muche thyng right wel I seye But dame / here as we ryden by the weye Vs nedeth nat to speken / but of game And lete Auctoritees / on goddes name To prechyng and to scole of clergye But if it like / to this compaignye I wol yow / of a Somnour telle a game Pardee / ye may wel knowe by the name That of a Somnour / may no good be sayd I praye / that noon of yow / be ypayd A somnour / is a rennere vp and doun With mandementz / for fornicacioun And is ybet at euery townes ende ¶ Oure hoost tho spak / a sire / ye sholde be hende And curteys / as a man of youre estaat In compaignye / we wol no debaat Telleth youre tale / and lat the Somnour be ¶ Nay quod the Somnour / lat hym seye to me What so hym list whan it comth to my lot By god / I shal hym quyten euery grot I shal hym telle / which a gret honour It is / to be a flaterynge lymytour And of/ many another manere cryme Which nedeth nat rehercen / for this tyme And his office / I schal hym telle ywys ¶ Oure hoost answerde / pees namoore of this And after this / he seyde vn-to the frere Tel forth youre tale / leeue maister deere Here endeth the prologe of the ffrere and bigynneth his tale WHilom / ther was dwellynge in my contree An Erchedekne / a man of hy degree That boldely / dide execucion In punysshynge of ffornicacion Of wicchecraft and eek of Bawderye Of diffamacion / and auoutrye Of chirche Reues / and of testamentz Of contractes / and eek of lakke of sacramentz Of vsure / and of Symonye also But certes / lecchours / dide he grettest wo They sholde synge[From here to the end of this line is in a later 15th-century hand in the MS.] n if that they were hent And smale tyth[From here to the end of this line is in a later 15th-century hand in the MS.] eres were foule yschent If any person /[From here to the end of this line is in a later 15th-century hand in the MS.] wold vp-on hem pleyne Ther myghte[From here to the end of this line is in a later 15th-century hand in the MS.] asterte hym no pecunial peyne ffor smale[From here to the end of this line is in a later 15th-century hand in the MS.] tithes & for smal offryng He made the[From here to the end of this line is in a later 15th-century hand in the MS.] peple ful pitusly to syng ffor er the[From here to the end of this line is in a later 15th-century hand in the MS.] bysschop caght hem with hys hooc They were[From here to the end of this line is in a later 15th-century hand in the MS.] in the erchdeknys book/ And thanne[From here to the end of this line is in a later 15th-century hand in the MS.] had he thurgh hys Iurisdiccion Power / to[From here to the end of this line is in a later 15th-century hand in the MS.] do on hem correccion He hadde a Somnour / redy to his hond A slyer boy / nas noon in Engelond ffor subtilly / he hadde his espiaille That taughte hym / wher hym myghte auaille He koude spare / of lecchours / oon or two To techen hym / to foure and twenty mo ffor theigh this Somnour / wood were as an hare To telle his harlotrye / I wol nat spare ffor we been / out of his correccion They han of vs / no Iurisdiccion Ne neuere shullen / terme of hir lyues ¶ Peter / so been the wommen of the styves Quod this Somnour / yput out of my cure ¶ Pees with myschaunce / and with mysauenture Thus seyde oure hoost / and lat hym telle his tale Now telleth forth / thogh þat the Somnour gale Ne spareth nat myn owene mayster deere ¶ This false theef this Somnour / quod the frere Hadde alwey / baudes redy to his hond As any hauk to lure in Engelond That tolde hym / al the secree þat they knewe ffor hire aqueyntance / was nat come of newe They weren / hise Approwours pryuely He took hym self / a greet profit ther by His maister knew nat alwey / what he wan With-outen mandement a lewed man He koude somne / on peyne of cristes curs And they were glade / for to fille his purs And make hym / grete festes atte nale And right as Iudas / hadde purses smale And was a theef/ right swich a theef was he His maister / hadde but half his duetee He was / if I shal yeuen hym his laude A theef / and eek a somnour / and a baude He hadde eek wenches / at his retenue That wheither þat sir Robert / or sire hewe Or Iakke / or Rauf or who so that it were That lay by hem / they tolde it in his ere Thus was the wenche and he / of oon assent And he wolde fecche / a feyned mandement And somne hem to Chapitre / bothe two And pile the man / and lete the wenche go ¶ Thanne wolde he seye / freend I shal for thy sake Do stryke hire / out of oure lettres blake Thee thar namore / as in this cas trauaille I am thy freend / ther I thee may auaille Certeyn / he knew of bryberyes mo Than possible is / to telle in yeres two ffor in this world / nys dogge for the bowe That kan an hurt deer / from an hool knowe Bet than this Somnour / knewe a sly lecchour Or an Auouter / or a paramour And for that was / the fruyt of al his rente Ther-fore on it he sette al his entente ¶ And so bifel / that ones on a day This Somnour / euere waityng on his pray ffor to somne an old wydewe / a Ribibe ffeynynge a cause / for he wolde brybe Happed / that he say / bifore hym ryde A gay yeman / vnder a fforest syde A bowe he bar / and arwes brighte & kene He hadde vp-on / a courtepy of grene An hat vp-on his heed / with frenges blake ¶ Sire quod this Somnour / hayl / and wel atake ¶ Wel come quod he / and euery good felawe Where ridestow / vnder this grene shawe Seyde this yeman / wiltow fer to day ¶ This Somnour hym answerde / and seyde nay Here faste by quod he / is myn entente To ryden / for to reysen vp a rente That longeth / to my lordes duetee ¶ Artow thanne a Bailly? / ye quod he He dorste nat for verray filthe and shame Seye þat he was a Somnour / for the name ¶ Depardieux quod this yeman / deere brother Thow art a bailly / and I am another I am vnknowen / as in this contree Of thyn aqueyntance / I wolde praye thee And eek of bretherhede / if þat yow leste I haue gold / and siluer / in my cheste If that thee happed to come in oure shire Al shal be thyn / right as thow wolt desire ¶ Graunt mercy quod this Somnour / by my feith Euerich in ootheres hond / his trouthe leyth ffor to be sworn bretheren / til they deye In daliaunce / they ryden forth and pleye ¶ This Somnour / which þat was / as ful of Iangles As ful of venym / been thise waryangles And euere enqueryng vp-on euery thyng Brother quod he / where is now youre dwellyng Another day / if þat I sholde yow seche This yeman hym answerde / in softe speche ¶ Brother quod he / fer in the North contree Where as I hope / som tyme I shal thee see Er we departe / I shal thee so wel wisse That of myn hous / ne shaltow neuere mysse ¶ Now brother quod this Somnour I yow preye Teche me / whil þat we ryden by the weye Syn þat ye been a Baillyf / as am I Som subtiltee / and tel me feithfully In myn office / how I may moost wynne And spareth nat for conscience ne synne But as my brother / tel me how do ye ¶ Now by my trouthe / brother deere / seyde he As I shal tellen thee / a feithful tale My wages been / ful streyte / and ful smale My lord is hard to me / and daungerous And myn office / is ful laborous And therfore / by extorcions I lyue ffor sothe I take / al that men wol me yeue Algate / by sleighte / or by violence ffro yeer to yeer / I wynne al my dispence I kan no bettre tellen / feithfully ¶ Now certes quod this Somnour / so fare I I spare nat to taken / god it woot But it be to heuy / or to hoot What I may gete / in conseil priuely No manere conscience / of that haue I Nere myn extorcion / I myghte nat lyuen Ne of swiche Iapes / wol I nat be shryuen Stomak ne Conscience / ne knowe I noon I sherewe / thise Shryftes-fadres euerychon Wel be we met by god / and by Seint Iame But leeue brother / tel me thanne thy name Quod this Somnour / in this mene whyle This yeman / gan a litel for to smyle ¶ Brother quod he / woltow þat I thee telle I am a feend / my dwellyng is in helle And here I ryde / aboute my purchasyng To wite / wher men wol yeue me any thyng My purchas / is theffect of al my rente Looke how thow rydest for the same entente To wynne good / thow rekkest neuere how Right so fare I / for ryde wold I now Vn-to the worldes ende / for a preye ¶ A quod this Somnour / benedicite what sey ye I wende / ye were a yeman trewely Ye han a mannes shape / as wel as I Han ye a figure thanne / determynat In helle ther ye been / in youre estat ¶ Nay certeynly quod he / ther haue we noon But whan vs liketh / we kan take vs oon Or ellis make yow seme / we ben shape Som tyme / lyk a man / or lyk an Ape Or lyk an Aungel / kan I ryde or go It is no wonder thyng theigh it be so A lousy Iogelour / kan deceyue thee And pardee yet kan I / moore craft than he ¶ Whi quod this Somnour / ryde ye thanne or goon In sondry shape / and nat alwey in oon ¶ ffor we quod he / wol vs swiche formes make As moost able is / oure preyes for to take ¶ What maketh yow / to han al this labour ¶ fful many a cause / leue sire Somnour Seyde this feend / but alle thyng hath tyme The day is short/ and it is passed pryme And yet ne wan I no thyng in this day I wol entende / to wynnyng/ if I may And nat entende / oure wittes to declare ffor brother myn / thy wit is al to bare To vnderstonde / al-thogh I tolde hem thee But for thow axest why labouren we ffor som tyme / we been goddes Instrumentz And meenes / to doon his comandementz Whan that hym list/ vp on his creatures In diuers art and in diuerse figures With-outen hym / we han no myght certayn If that hym lyst to stonde ther agayn And som tyme / at oure preyere / han we leue Oonly the body / and nat the soule greue Witnesse on Iob / whom þat we diden wo And som tyme / han we myght of bothe two This is to seyn / of soule and body eke And som tyme / be we suffred for to seke Vp-on a man / and do his soule vnreste And nat his body / and al is for the beste Whan he with-standeth / oure temptacion It is / a cause / of his sauacion Al be it that it was / nat oure entente He sholde be sauf but þat we wolde hym hente And som tyme / be we seruant vn-to man As to the Erchebisshope / Seint Dunstan And to the Apostles / seruant eek was I ¶ Yet tel me / quod the Somnour feithfully Make ye yow newe bodyes / thus alway Of Elementz? / the feend answerde nay Som tyme we feyne / and som tyme we aryse With dede bodyes / in ful sondry wyse And speke as renably / and faire and wel As to the Phitonissa / dide Samuel And yet wol som men seye / it was nat he I do no fors / of youre dyuynytee But o thyng warne I thee / I wol nat Iape Thow wolt algates wite / how we be shape Thow shalt her afterwardes / my brother deere Come there / thee nedeth nat of me to lere ffor thow shalt by thyn owene experience Konne in a chayer / rede of this sentence Bet than Virgile / whil he was on lyue Or Dant also / now lat vs ryde blyue ffor I wol holde / compaignye with thee Til it be so / that thow forsake me ¶ Nay quod this Somnour / that shal nat bityde I am a yeman / knowen is ful wyde My trouthe wol I holde / as in this cas ffor theigh thow were / the deuel Sathanas My trouthe wol I holde / to thee my brother As I am sworn / and ech of vs til oother ffor to be trewe brother / in this cas And bothe we goon / abouten oure purchas Taak thow thy part what þat men wol thee yeue And I shal myn / thus may we bothe lyue And if that any of vs / haue moore than oother Lat hym be trewe / and parte it with his brother ¶ I graunte quod the deuel / by my fey And with that word / they ryden forth hir wey And right at the entryng of the townes ende To which this Somnour / shoop hym for to wende They saye a Cart that charged was with hey Which that a Cartere / droof forth in his wey Deep was the wey / for which the Carte stood This Cartere smoot and cryde as he were wood Hayt Brok hayt Scot what spare ye for the stones The feend quod he / yow fecche body and bones As ferforthly / as euere were ye foled So muchel wo / as I haue with yow tholed The deuel haue al / bothe hors / and Cart and hey ¶ This Somnour seyde / heer shul we han a pley And neer the feend he drogh / as noght we were fful pryuely / and rowned in his ere Herkne my brother / herkne by thy feith Herestow nat how þat the Cartere seith Hent it anon / for he hath yeue it thee Bothe hey / and Cart and eek his caples thre ¶ Nay quod the deuel / god woot neuer a del It is nat his entente / trust thow me wel Axe hym thy self / if thow nat trowest me Or ellys stynt a while / and thow shalt se ¶ This Cartere / taketh his hors vp-on the croupe And they bigonne / drawen and to stoupe Heyt now quod he / ther Ihesu crist yow blesse And al his handes werk bothe moore and lesse That was wel twight myn owene lyard boy I pray god saue thee / and Seint loy Now is my Cart out of the slow pardee ¶ Lo brother quod the feend / what tolde I thee Heere may ye se / myn owene deere brother The Carl spak o thyng but he thoghte another Lat vs go forth / abouten oure viage Heere wynne I no thyng vp-on cariage ¶ Whan that they comen / som what out of towne This Somnour / to his brother gan to rowne Brother quod he / here woneth an old rebekke That hadde al-moost as leef to lese hir nekke As for to yeue a peny / of hir good I wol han .xij. pens / thogh that she be wood Or I wol somne hire / vn-to oure office And yet god woot of hire knowe I no vice But for thow canst nat as in this contree Wynne thy cost taak heer ensample of me This Somnour / clappeth at the wydwes gate Com out quod he / thow olde viritrate I trowe thow hast som frere / or preest with theė ¶ Who clappeth seyde this wyf / benedicitee God saue yow sire / what is youre swete wille ¶ I haue quod he / of somonce a bille Vp peyne of cursyng looke that thow be To morn / bifore the Erchedeknes knee Tanswere to the court of certeyn thynges ¶ Now lord quod she / crist Ihesu kyng of kynges So wisly helpe me / as I ne may I haue been syk and that ful many a day I may nat go so fer quod she / ne ryde But I be deed / so priketh it in my syde May I nat axe a libel / sire Somnour And answere there / by my procutour To swiche thyng as men wole opposen me ¶ Yis quod this Somnour / pay anon lat see Twelf pens to me / and I wol thee acquyte I shal no profyt han ther by / but lyte My Maister hath the profit / and nat I Com of / and lat me ryden hastily Yif me .xij. pens / I may no lenger tarye ¶ Twelf pens quod she / now lady Seinte Marie So wisly help me god / out of care and synne This wyde world / thogh that I sholde wynne Ne haue I nat .xij. pens / with-Inne myn hoold Ye knowen wel / that I am poure and oold Kythe youre almesse / on me poure wrecche ¶ Nay thanne quod he / the foule feend me fecche If I thexcuse / theigh thow shul be spilt ¶ Allas quod she / god woot I haue no gilt ¶ Pay me quod he / or by the swete Seinte Anne As I wol bere awey / thy newe panne ffor dette / which thow owest me of oold Whan þat thow madest / thyn housbonde cokewold I payde at hom / for thy correccion ¶ Thow lyxt quod she / by my sauacion Ne was I · neuere er now / wydwe ne wyf Somoned vn-to youre court in al my lyf / Ne neuere I nas / but of my body trewe Vn-to the deuel / blak and row of hewe Yeue I thy body / and my panne also ¶ And whan the deuel / herde hire cursen so Vp-on hir knees / he seyde in this manere Now Mabely / myn owene moder deere Is this youre wyl in ernest / þat ye seye ¶ The deuel quod she / so fecche hym er he deye And panne and al / but he wol hym repente ¶ Nay olde stot that is nat myn entente Quod this Somnour / for to repente me ffor any thyng that I haue had of thee I wolde I hadde thy smok / and euery clooth ¶ Now brother quod the deuel / be noght wrooth Thy body and this panne / been myne by right Thow shalt with me to helle / yet to nyght Wher thow shalt knowen / of oure pryuetee Moore / than a maister of dyuynytee And with that word / this foule feend hym hente Body and soule / he with the deuel wente Wher as that Somnours / han hir heritage And god / that made after his ymage Mankynde / saue / and gyde vs alle and some And leue thise Somnours / goode men to bicome ¶ Lordynges I koude han told yow / quod the frere Hadde I had leyser / for this Somnour heere After the text / of crist Poul and Iohn And of oure othere doctours / many oon Swich peynes / that youre hertes myghte agryse Al be it so / no tonge may it deuyse Thogh that I myghte / a thousand wynter telle The peynes / of thilke cursed hous of helle But for to kepe vs / fro that cursed place Waketh / and preyeth Ihesu for his grace So kepe vs / fro the temptour Sathanas Herketh this word / beth war as in this cas The leon sit in his awayt alway To sle the Innocent if that he may Disposeth ay youre hertes / to withstonde The feend / that yow wolde maken thral and bonde He may nat tempte yow / ouer youre myght ffor crist wol be youre champion and knyght And prayeth / that this Somnours hem repente Of hir mysdedes / er that the feend hem hente ¶ Here endeth / the freres tale ¶ The Prologe / of the Somnours tale.[on lf78, bk] This Somnour in his Stiropes / hye he stood Vp-on this frere / his herte was so wood That lyk an Aspen lief / he quook for Ire ¶ Lordynges quod he / but o thyng I desire I yow biseke / that of youre curteisye Syn ye han herd / this false frere lye As suffreth me / I may my tale telle This frere bosteth / that he knoweth helle And god it woot that it is litel wonder ffreres and feendes / been but lyte a sonder ffor pardee / ye han ofte tyme herd telle How that a frere / rauysshed was to helle In Spirit ones / by avisioun And as an Aungel / ladde hym vp and down To shewen hym / the peynes þat ther were In al the place / say he nat a frere Of oother folk / he say ynowe in wo Vn-to this Angel / spak the frere tho ¶ Now Sire quod he / han freres swich a grace That noon of hem / shal come to this place ¶ Yis quod this Aungel / many a Milioun And vn-to Sathanas / he ladde hym doun And now hath Sathanas / seith he a tayl Brodder / than of a Carryk is the sayl Hold vp thy tayl / thow Sathanas quod he Shewe forth thyn ers / and lat the frere se Where is thee nest of freres / in this place And er þat / half a furlong wey of space Right so as bees / out swarmen from an hyue Out of the deueles ers / ther gonne dryue Twenty thousand freres / on a route And thurgh-out helle / swarmeden aboute And comen again / as faste as they may gon And in his ers / they crepten euerychon He clapte his tayl agayn / and lay ful stille This frere / whan he looked hadde his fille Vp-on the tormentz / of this sory place His spirit god restored of his grace Vn-to his body agayn / and he awook But nathelees / for fere yet he quook So was the deueles ers / ay in his mynde That is his heritage / of verray kynde God saue yow alle / saue this cursed frere My prologe / wol I ende / in this manere ¶ Here endeth the prologe of the Somnours tale. ¶ Here bygynneth the Somnours tale. LOrdynges / ther is in Yorkshire / as I gesse A Merssh contree / called Holdernesse In which / ther wente a lymytour aboute To preche / and eek to begge / it is no doubte And so bifel / that on a day this frere Hadde preched at a chirche / in his manere And specially / abouen euery thyng Excyted he the peple / in his prechyng To trentals / and to yeue for goddes sake Wher-with men myghte / holy houses make Ther as dyuyne seruice / is honoured Nat ther / as it is wasted and deuoured Ne ther / it nedeth nat to be yeue As to possessioners / that mowen lyue Thanked be god / in wele and habundance Trentals seyde he / deliuereth from penaunce Hir freendes soules / as wel olde as yonge Ye / whan that they / been hastily ysonge Nat for to holde a preest Ioly and gay He syngeth nat but o masse in a day Deliuereth out quod he / anon the soules fful hard it is / with flessh-hook/ or with oules To been y-clawed / or to brenne / or bake Now spede yow hastily / for cristes sake And whan this frere / hadde seyd al his entente With qui cum patre / forth his wey he wente Whan folk in chirche / hadde yeue hym / what hem leste He wente his wey / no lenger wolde he reste With scryppe and typped staf / y-tukked hye In euery hous / he gan to poure and prye And beggeth Mele / and chese / or ellis corn His felawe hadde a staf / typped with horn A peyre of tables / al of yuory And a poyntel / polysshed fetisly And wroot the names / alwey as he stood Of alle folk / that yaf hem any good Ascaunces / that he wolde for hem preye Yif vs a busshel whete / Malt or Reye A goddes kechyl / or a trype of cheese Or ellis what yow lyst we may nat chese A goddes half peny / or a masse peny Or yif vs of youre brawn / if ye haue eny A dagon of youre Blanket leeue dame Oure suster deere / lo heere I write youre name Bacon / or boef / or swich thyng as ye fynde A sturdy harlot wente ay hem bihynde That was hir hostes man / and baar a sak And what men yaf hem / leyde it on his bak And whan that he was out at dore anon He planed awey / the names euerichon That he biforn / hadde writen in his tables He serued hem / with nyfles and with fables ¶ Nay ther thow lixt thow Somnour quod the frere ¶ Pees quod oure hoost for cristes moder deere Tel forth thy tale / and spare it nat at al ¶ So thryue I quod this Somnour / so I shal So longe he wente / hous by hous / til he Cam til an hous / ther he was wont to be Refresshed moore / than in an hundred placis Syk lay the goode man / whos the place is Bedrede vp-on a couche / lowe he lay Deus hic quod he / O Thomas freend good day Seyde this frere / curteisly and softe Thomas quod he / god yelde yow ful ofte Haue I vp-on this bench / faren ful wel Heere haue I eten / many a murye mel And fro the bench / he droof awey the cat And leyde adoun / his potente and his hat And eek his scrippe / and sette hym softe adown His felawe / was go walked in to town fforth with his knaue / in-to that hostelrye Wher as he shoope hym / thilke nyght to lye ¶ O deere maister / quod this syke man How han ye fare / sith that March bigan I say yow noght this fourtnyght or moore ¶ God woot quod he / laboured I haue ful soore And specially / for thy sauacion Haue I seyd / many a precious orison And for oure othere freendes / god hem blesse I haue to day / been at youre chirche at messe[at messe is in a later hand] And seyd a sermon / after my symple wit Nat al / after the text of holy writ ffor it is hard to yow / as I suppose And ther-fore / wol I teche yow al the glose Glosyng is a glorious thyng certeyn ffor lettre sleeth / so as we clerkes seyn Ther haue I taught hem / to be charitable And spende hir good / ther it is resonable And ther I say oure dame / a where is she ¶ Yond in the yerd / I trowe þat she be Seyde this man / and she wol come anon ¶ Ey maister / wel come be ye / by Seint Iohn Seyde this wyf / how fare ye hertely ¶ The frere ariseth vp / ful curteisly And hire embraceth / in hise armes narwe And kiste hir swete / and chirteth as a Sparwe With his lippes / Dame quod he / right wel As he / that is youre seruant euery del Thanked be god / that yow yaf soule and lyf Yet say I nat this day / so fair a wyf In al the chirche / god so saue me ¶ Ye god amende defautes / sire quod she Algates / wel come be ye / by my fey ¶ Graunt mercy dame / this haue I founde alwey But of youre grete goodnesse / by youre leue I wolde pray yow / that ye nat yow greue I wol with Thomas / speke a litel throwe Thise Curatz / been ful necligent and slowe To grope tendrely / a conscience In shrift in prechyng is my diligence And studie / in Petres wordes / and in Poules I walke / and fisshe / cristen mennes soules To yelden Ihesu crist . his propre rente To sprede his word / is set al myn entente ¶ Now by youre leeue / o deere sire quod she Chideth hym wel / for Seinte Trinitee He is as angry / as a Pissemyre Thogh that he haue / al that he kan desire Thogh I hym wrye a nyght and make hym warm And on hym leye / my leg outher myn arm He groneth lyk oure boor / lyth in oure Sty Oother disport right noon of hym haue I I may nat please hym / in no maner cas ¶ O Thomas Ie vous dy / Thomas / Thomas This maketh the feend / this moste been amended Ire is a thyng that hye god defended And ther-of / wol I speke / a word / or two ¶ Now maister quod the wyf / er þat I go What wol ye dyne / I wol go ther aboute ¶ Now dame quod he / now Ie vous dy sanz doute Haue I nat of a Capon / but the lyuere And of youre softe breed / nat but a shyuere And after that a rosted pigges heed But þat I nolde / no beest for me were deed Thanne hadde I with yow / homly suffisaunce I am a man / of litel sustenaunce My Spirit hath his fostryng in the bible The body is ay / so redy and penyble To wake / that my stomak is destroyed I pray yow dame / ye be nat anoyed Thogh I so freendly / yow my conseil shewe By god / I wolde nat telle it but a fewe ¶ Now sire quod she / but o word / er I go My child is deed / with-Inne thise wykes two Soone after that ye wente / out of this town ¶ His deeth say I / by reuelacioun Seith this frere / at hom in oure dortour I dar wel seyn / that er þat half an hour After his deeth / I say hym born to blisse In myn avision / so god me wisse So dide oure Sexteyn / and oure ffermerer That han been trewe freres fifty yeer They may now / god be thanked / of his lone Maken hir Iubilee / and walke allone And vp I roos / and al oure Couent eke With many a teere / triklyng on my cheke With-outen noyse / or clateryng of belles Te Deum was oure song and no thyng elles Saue that to crist / I seyde an orison Thankynge hym / of his reuelacion ffor sire and dame / trusteth me right wel Oure orisons / been wel moore effectuel And moore we seen / of cristes secree thynges Than burell folk al thogh þat they were kynges We lyue in pouerte / and in abstinence And burell folk in richesse and dispence Of mete and drynke / and in hir foul delit We han this worldes lust al in despit Lazar and Diues / lyueden diuersly And diuerse gerdon / hadde they ther-by Who so wol praye / he moot faste and be clene And fatte his soule / and make his body lene We fare as seith thapostle / clooth and foode Suffiseth vs / thogh they be nat ful goode The clennesse / and the fastyng of vs freres Maketh / that crist accepteth oure prayeres ¶ Lo Moyses / fourty dayes / and fourty nyght ffasted / er that the heighe god of myght Spak with hym / in the mountayne of Synay With empty wombe / fastynge many a day Receyued he the lawe / that was writen With goddes fynger / and Elye wel ye witen In Mount Oreb / er he hadde any speche With hye god / that is oure lyues leche He fasted longe / and was in contemplaunce Aaron / that hadde the temple in gouernaunce And eek / that othere preestes euerichon In-to the temple / whan they sholde gon To preye for the peple / and do seruyse They nolden drynken / in no maner wyse No drynke / which that myghte hem dronke make But there in abstinence / preye and wake Lest that they deyden / tak hede what I seye But they be sobre / that for the peple preye War that I seye namoore / for it suffiseth Oure lord Ihesu / as holy writ deuyseth Yaf vs ensample / of fastyng/ and prayeres Ther fore / we mendynantz / we sely freres Been wedded / to pouerte and continence To charitee / humblesse and abstinence To persecucion / for rightwisnesse To wepyng misericorde and clennesse And ther-fore may ye se / that oure prayeres I speke of vs / we mendinantz / we freres Be to the hye god / moore acceptable Than youres / with youre festes at the table ffro Paradys first if I shal nat lye Was man out chaced / for his glotonye And chaast was man / in Paradys certeyn ¶ But herkne Thomas / what I shal seyn I ne haue no text of it as I suppose But I shal fynde it in a maner glose That specially / oure swete lord Ihesus Spak this by freres / whan he seyde thus Blessed be they / that poure in Spirit been And so forth / in the gospel / may ye seen Wher it be likker / oure profession Or hire / that swymmen in possession ffy on hir pompe / and hir glotonye And for hir lewednesse / I hem diffye Me thynketh / they been lyk Iouynyan ffat as a whale / and walkyng as a swan Al vynolent as Botel in the Spence Hir preyere is / of ful greet reuerence Whan they for soules / seye the psalm of Dauit Lo buf they seye / cor meum eructauit Who folweth cristes gospel / and his foore But we that humble been / and chaast/ and poore Werkers of goddes word / nat Auditours Ther fore / right as an hauk / vp at a sours Vp spryngeth in-to theyr / right so prayeres Of charitable / and chaste bisy freres Maken hir sours / to goddes erys two Thomas / Thomas / so mote I ryde or go And by that lord / that clepid is Seint yue Nere thow oure brother / sholdestow nat thryue [In[Rats]] oure chapitre / praye we day and nyght To crist that he thee sende / heele and myght Thy body / for to welden hastily ¶ God woot quod he / no thyng ther-of feele I As help me crist as I in fewe yeres Haue spended / vp-on diuerse manere freres fful many a pound / yet fare I neuere the bet Certeyn / my good haue I almoost biset ffarwel my gold / for it is al ago ¶ The frere answerde / o Thomas doostow so What nedeth yow / diuerse freres seche What nedeth hym / that hath a parfit leche To sechen / othere leches in the town Youre inconstance / is youre confusioun Holde ye thanne me / or ellis oure Couent To preye for yow / been insufficient Thomas / that Iape / nys nat worth a myte Youre maladye / is for we han to lyte A yif that Couent/ half a quarter otes A yif that Couent .xxiiij. grotes A yif that frere a peny / and lat hym go Nay nay Thomas / it may no thyng be so What is a ferthyng worth / parted in twelue Lo / ech thyng/ that is oned in hym selue Is moore strong than whan it is to-scatered Thomas / of me / thow shalt nat been yflatered Thow woldest han oure labour / al for noght The hye god / that al this world hath wroght Seith / that the werkman / worthy is his hire Thomas / noght of youre tresor I desire As for my self / but that al oure Couent To praye for yow / is ay so diligent And for to buylden / cristes owene chirche Thomas / if ye wol lernen for to wirche Of buyldyng vp of chirches / may ye fynde If it be good / in Thomas lyf of Inde Ye lye heere ful of Anger and of Ire With which / the deuel set youre herte afire And chiden heere / the sely Innocent/ Youre wyf/ that is so meke and pacient And ther-fore Thomas / trowe me if thee leste Ne stryue nat with thy wyf/ as for thy beste And bere this word awey / now by thy feith Touchynge swich thyng lo what the wise man seith ¶ With-Inne thyn hous / ne be thow no leon To thy subgitz / do noon oppression Ne make thyne aqueyntances / nat for to flee And Thomas / yet eft soones I charge thee Be war from hire / that in thy bosom slepeth War fro the serpent that so sleighly crepeth Vnder the gras / and styngeth subtilly Be war my sone / and herkne paciently That twenty thousand men / han lost hir lyues ffor stryuyng with hir lemmans and hir wyues Now sith ye han / so holy meke a wyf What nedeth yow Thomas / to maken stryf/ Their nys ywis / no serpent so cruel Whan man tret on his tayl / ne half so fel As womman is / whan she hath caught an Ire Vengeance is thanne / al that they desire Ire is a synne / oon of the grete of seuene Abhomynable / vn-to the god of heuene And to hym self / it is destruccion This euery lewed viker / or parson Kan seye / how Ire engendreth homicide Ire is in sooth / executour of pryde I koude of Ire / seye so muche sorwe My tale / sholde laste til to morwe And ther-fore praye I god / bothe day and nyght An Irous man / god sende hym litel myght It is greet harm / and certes greet pitee To sette an Irous man in heigh degree WHilom / ther was an Irous potestat As seith Senek that durynge his estat Vp-on a day / out ryden knyghtes two And as ffortune wolde / that it were so That oon of hem cam hom / that oother noght Anon the knyght bifore the Iuge is broght That seyde thus / thow hast thy felawe slayn ffor which / I deme thee to the deeth certayn [RatsAn]d to another knyght comanded he Go leed hym to the deeth / I charge thee And happed / as they wente by the weye Toward the place / ther he sholde deye The knyght cam / which men wenden had be deed Thanne thoghten they / it were the beste reed To lede hem bothe / to the Iuge agayn They seyden / lord / the knyght ne hath nat slayn His felawe / heere he stant hool alyue ¶ Ye shul be deed quod he / so moot I thryue This is to seyn / bothe oon and two and thre And to the firste knyght right thus spak/ he ¶ I dampned thee / thou most algate be deed And thow also / most nedes lese thyn heed ffor thow art cause / why thy felawe deyth And to the thridde knyght right thus he seith Thow hast nat doon / that I comanded thee And thus he dide / do sleen hem alle thre ¶ Irous Cambyses / was eek dronkelewe And ay delited hym / to been a shrewe And so bifel / a lord of his meynee That louede / vertuous moralitee Seyde on a day / bitwix hem two right thus ¶ A lord is 2lost if he be vicius2[2_2 in a later hand] And dronkenesse / is eek a foul record Of any man / and namely in a lord Ther is ful many an eighe / and many an ere Awaityng on a lord / he noot nat where ffor goddes loue / drynk moore attemprely Wyn maketh man / to lesen wrecchedly His mynde / and eek his lymes euerychon ¶ The reuers shaltow se / quod he anon And preue it by thyn owene experience That wyn ne dooth to folk no swich offence Ther is no wyn / bireueth me my myght Of hond ne foot ne of myne eyen sight And for despit he drank ful muchel moore An hundred part than he hadde doon bifore And right anon / this Irous cursed wrecche bifore hym Leet this knyghtes sone / fecche Comandynge hym / he sholde bifore hym stonde And sodeynly / he took his bowe in honde And vp the streng he pulled to his ere And with an arwe / he slow the child right there Now / wheither haue I / a siker hand or noon Quod he / is al my myght and mynde agoon Hath wyn byreued me / myn eye sight ¶ What sholde I telle / thanswere of the knyght His sone was slayn / ther is namoore to seye Beth war ther fore / with lordes how ye pleye Syngeth Placebo / and I shal if I kan But if it be / vn-to a poure man To a poure man / men sholde his vices telle But nat to a lord / thogh he sholde go to helle ¶ Lo Irous Syrus / thilke Percien How he destroyed / the ryuer of Gysen ffor that an hors of his / was dreynt ther-Inne Whan that he wente / Babiloyne to wynne He made / that the Ryuer was so smal That wommen / myghte wade it ouer al Lo what seyde he / that so wel teche kan Ne be no felawe / to an Irous man Ne with no wood man / walke by the weye Lest thee repente / I wol no ferther seye ¶ Now Thomas leeue brother / lef thyn Ire Thow shalt me fynde / as Iust as is a Squyre Hoold nat the deueles knyf / ay at thyn herte Thyn angre dooth thee / al to soore smerte But shewe to me / al thy confession ¶ Nay quod the sike man / by Seint Symon I haue be shryuen this day / at my Curat I haue hym toold / hoolly al myn estat Nedeth namoore to speke of it seith he But if me list of myn humylitee ¶ Yif me thanne of thy gold / to make oure cloystre Quod he / for many a Muscle / and many an Oystre Whan othere men / han been ful wel at eyse Hath been oure foode / oure Cloystre for to reyse And yet god woot vnnethe the fundement/ Parfourned is / ne of oure pauement [Rats.N]ys nat a tyle / yet with-Inne oure wones By god / we owen fourty pound for stones Now help Thomas / for hym þat harwed helle Or ellis mote we / oure bookes selle And if yow lakke / oure predicacion Thanne gooth the world / al to destruccion ffor who so / fro this world / wolde vs bireue So god me saue / Thomas by youre leue He wolde bireue / out of the world the sonne ffor who kan teche / and werchen as we konne And that is nat of litel tyme quod he But sith Elie was / or Elize Han freres been / that fynde I of record In charitee / thonked be oure lord Now Thomas / help for Seinte charitee And down anon / he set hym on his knee ¶ This sike man / weex wel neigh wood for Ire He wolde / that the frere / hadde been afire With his false dissimulacion Swich thyng/ as is in my possession Quod he / that may I yeue and noon oother Ye sey me thus / how that I am youre brother ¶ Ye certes quod the frere / trusteth wel I took oure dame / oure lettre with oure sel ¶ Now wel quod he / and som what shal I yeue Vn-to youre holy Couent whil I lyue And in thyn hand / thow shalt it han anon On this condicion / and oother noon That thow departe it so / my deere brother That euery frere / haue as muche as oother This shaltow swere / on thy profession With-outen fraude / or cauelacion ¶ I swere it quod this frere / vp-on my feith And ther with al / his hand in his he leith Lo here my feith / in me / shal be no lak ¶ Now thanne put thyn hand / down by my bak Seyde this man / and grope wel bihynde Bynethe my buttok there shaltow fynde A thyng that I haue hyd in pryuetee ¶ A thoghte this frere / that shal go with me And down his hand / he launcheth to the clifte In hope / for to fynde there a yifte And whan this sike man / felte this frere Aboute his tuwel / grope there and heere Amydde his hand / he leet the frere a fart Ther is no capul / drawyng in a Cart That myghte han late a fart of swich a sown ¶ The frere vp stirte / as dooth a wood leoun A false cherl quod he / for goddes bones This hastow for despit doon for the nones Thow shalt abye this fart if þat I may His meynee / which that herden this affray Cam lepyng In / and chaced out the frere And forth he gooth / with a ful angry cheere And fette his felawe / ther as lay his stoor He looked / as he were a wilde boor He grynt with his teeth / so was he wrooth A sturdy paas / doun to the court he gooth Wher as ther woned / a man of greet honour To whom / that he was alwey confessour This worthy man / was lord of that village This frere cam / as he were in a rage Where as this lord / sat etyng at his boord Vnnethe / myghte the frere speke a woord Til atte laste / he seyde / god yow see ¶ This lord gan looke / and seyde benedicitee What frere Iohn / what manere world is this I se wel / that som thyng ther is amys Ye looken / as the wode were ful of theuys Sit doun anon / and tel me what youre grief is And it shal been amended / if I may ¶ I haue quod he / had a despit to day God yelde yow / adown in youre village That in this world / ther nys so poure a page That he nolde haue / abhomynacioun Of that I haue receyued in youre toun And yet/ ne greueth me / no thyng so soore As that this olde cherl / with lokkes hoore Blasphemed hath / oure hooly Couent eke ¶ Now maister quod this lord / I yow biseke No maister sire quod he / but seruytour Thogh I haue had in scole / that honour God liketh nat that Raby men vs calle Neither in Market nyn youre large halle ¶ No force quod he / but tel me al youre grief ¶ Sire quod this frere / an odious meschief This day bityd is / to myn ordre and me And so par consequens / to ech degree Of holy chirche / god amende it soone ¶ Sire quod the lord / ye woot what is to doone Distempre yow noght ye be my confessour Ye been the salt of therthe / and the sauour ffor goddes loue / youre pacience ye holde Tel me youre grief/ and he anon hym tolde As ye han herd biforn / ye woot wel what The lady of the hous / ay stille sat Til she hadde herd / what the frere sayde ¶ Ey goddes moder quod she / blisful mayde Is ther aught ellis / tel me feithfully ¶ Ma dame quod he / how thynketh yow ther by ¶ How þat me thynketh quod she / so god me spede I seye / a cherl / hath doon a cherles dede What sholde I seye / god lat hym neuere thee His sike heed / is ful of vanytee I holde hym / in a manere frenesye ¶ Madame quod he / by god I shal nat lye But I / on oother wise / may be wreke I shal diffame hym / ouer al wher I speke The false blasphemour / that charged me To parte / that wol nat departed be To euery man yliche / with meschaunce ¶ The lord sat stille / as he were in a traunce And in his herte / he rolled vp and down How hadde this cherl / ymaginacioun To shewe swich a probleme / to the frere Neuere erst er now / herde I swich matere I trowe the deuel / putte it in his mynde In Arsmetrik shal ther no man fynde Bifore this day / of swich a question Who sholde / make a demonstracion That euery man sholde han / ylike his part/ As of a soun / or sauour / of a fart O nyce prowde cherl / I shrewe his face ¶ Lo sires quod the lord / with harde grace Who euere herde / of swich a thyng er now To euery man ylike / tel me how It is an inpossible / it may nat be Ey nyce cherl / god lat hym neuere thee The rumblyng of a fart and euery soun Nys but of Eyr / reuerberacioun And there it wasteth / lite and lite awey Ther nys no man / kan deme by my fey If that it were / departed equally What lo my cherl / lo yet how shrewedly Vn-to my confessour / to day he spak/ I holde hym certeynly / demonyak Now ete youre mete / and lat the cherl go pleye Lat hym go hange hym self/ a deuel weye[The Solution of the "Probleme" by the Lord's Squire|and-Carver. No break in the MS.] ¶ Now stood / the lordes Squyer at the boord That carf his mete / and herde word by woord Of alle thyng of which I haue yow sayd ¶ My lord quod he / be ye nat yuele apayd I koude telle / for a gowne clooth To yow sire frere / so ye be nat wrooth How that this fart sholde euene ydeled be Among youre Couent if it liked me ¶ Tel quod the lord / and thow shalt haue anon A gowne clooth / by god and by Seint Iohn ¶ My lord quod he / whan that the weder is fair With-outen wynd / or perturbynge of Air Lat brynge a Cartwheel / heere in-to this halle But looke that it haue / his spokes alle Twelf spokes / hath a Cartwheel comunly And brynge me thanne twelf freres / woot ye why For thrittene / is a Couent / as I gesse Youre confessour heere / for his worthynesse Shal parfourne vp / the nombre of this Couent Thanne shal they knele adown / by oon assent And to euery spokes ende / in this manere fful sadly / leye his nose / shal a frere Youre noble Confessour / ther god hym saue Shal holde his nose / vp right vnder the Naue Thanne shal this cherl / with baly / stif and toght As any tabour / hider been ybroght And sette hym on the wheel / right of this Cart Vp on the Naue / and make hym lete a fart And ye shal seen / on peril of my lyf By proue / which that is demonstratyf That equally / the soun of it wol wende And eek the stynk/ vn-to the spokes ende Saue / that this worthy man / youre Confessour By cause / he is a man of greet honour Shal han the firste fruyt as reson is The noble vsage of freres / yet is this The worthy men of hem / shul first be serued And certeynly / he hath it wel disserued He hath to day / taught vs so muchel good With prechyng in the pulput ther he stood That I may vouche sauf / I seye for me He hadde the firste smel / of fartes thre And so wolde / al his Couent hardily He bereth hym / so faire and holily ¶ The lord / the lady / ech man / saue the frere Seyden / that Iankyn spak in this matere As wel / as Euclyde / or Protholomee Touchynge the cherl / they seyde subtiltee And hy wit made hym speke / as he spak He nys no fool / ne no demonyak And Iankyn hath y-wonne / a newe gowne My tale is doon / we been almoost at towne ¶ Here endeth the Somnours tale.[A blank leaf follows in the MS.] ¶ Here bigynneth The Prologe of the Monkes ta[le[Bitten off by rats.]]. WHan ended was my tale / of Melibee And of Prudence / and hire benygnitee Oure hoost seyde / as I am feithful man And by / that precious corpus Madrian I hadde leuere / than a barel Ale That goode lief my wyf / hadde herd this tale She nys no thyng of swich pacience As was / this Melibeus wyf Prudence By goddes bones / whan I bete my knaues She bryngeth me / the grete clobbed staues And crieth / slee the dogges euerichon And breke hem / bothe bak and euery bon And if þat / any neighebore / of myne Wol nat in chirche / to my wyf enclyne Or be so hardy / to hire to trespace Whan she cometh / she raumpeth in my face And crieth / false coward wrek thy wyf By corpus bones / I wol haue thy knyf And thow shalt haue my distaf/ and go spynne ffro day to nyght right thus she wol bigynne Allas she seith / þat euere þat I was shape To wedden a Milksope / or a coward Ape That wol been ouer-lad / of euery wight Thow darst nat stonden / by thy wyues right This is my lif but if þat I wol fighte And out at dore / anoon I moot me dighte Or ellis I am but lost but if þat I Be lyk a wilde leon / fool hardy I woot wel / she wol do me sle som day Som neighebore / and thanne go my way ffor I am perilous / with knyf in honde Al be it that I dar nat hire withstonde ffor she is big in armes / by my feith That shal he fynde / þat hire mysdooth / or seith But lat vs passe awey / fro this matere ¶ My lord the Monk quod he / be myrie of cheere ffor / ye shul telle a tale trewely Lo / Rouchestre / stant heer fasteby Ride forth myn owene lord / brek nat oure game But by my trouthe / I knowe nat youre name Wher shal I calle yow / my lord Dann Iohn Or dann Thomas / or ellis Dann Albon Of what hous be ye / by youre fader kyn I vow to god / thow hast a ful fair skyn It is a gentil pasture / ther thow goost Thow art nat lyk a penannt or a goost Vp-on my feith / thow art som Officer Som worthy Sexteyn / or som Celerer ffor by my fader soule / as to my doom Thow art a maister / whan thou art at hom No poure Cloistrer / ne no novys But a gouernour / wily and wys And ther with al / of brawnes & of bones A wel farynge persone / for the nones I prey god / yeue hym confusion That first thee broghte / vn-to Religion Thow woldest han been a tredefoul aright Haddestow / as greet a leue as thow hast myght To perfourne / al thy lust in engendrure Thow haddest bigeten / ful many a creature Allas / why werestow so wyd a cope God yeue me sorwe / but and I were a Pope Nat oonly thow / but euery myghty man Thogh he were shore / ful hye vp on his pan Sholde haue a wyf for al the world is lorn Religion / hath take vp al the corn Of tredyng and we borel men been shrympes Of feble trees / ther comen wrecched ympes This maketh / þat oure heires beth so sklendre And feble / þat they may nat wel engendre This maketh / þat oure wyues wole assaye Religious folk / for ye mowe bettre paye Of Venus paiementz / than may we God woot no lussheburgh payen ye But be nat wrooth my Lord / thogh þat I pleye fful ofte in game / a sooth I haue herd seye ¶ This worthy Monk / took al in pacience And seyde / I wol doon al my diligence As fer / as sowneth in to honestee To telle yow a tale / or two / or three And if yow list to herkne hiderward I wol yow seyn / the lyf of Seint Edward Or ellis first tragedies wol I telle Of whiche / I haue an hundred in my Celle Tragedie is to seyn / a certeyn storie As olde bokes / maken vs memorie Of hym / þat stood in greet prosperitee And is yfallen / out of heigh degree In to myserie / and endeth wrecchedly And they been / versified comunly Of .vj. feet whiche men clepyn Exametron In prose eek been endited many oon And eek in metre / in many a sondry wise Lo this declaryng oghte ynogh suffise ¶ Now herkneth / if yow liketh for to heere But first I yow biseke / in this matere Though I by ordre / telle nat thise thynges Be it of Popes / Emperours / or Kynges After hir ages / as men writen fynde But telle hem / som bifore / and som bihynde As it now cometh / vn-to my remembrance Haueth me excused / of myn ignorance ¶ Here bigynneth the Monkes tale. I Wol biwaille / in manere of Tragedie The harm of hem / that stoode in heigh degree And fillen so / that ther nas no remedie To brynge hem / out of hire Aduersitee ffor certeyn / whan þat ffortune list to flee Ther may no man / the cours of hire withholde Lat no man triste / on blynd prosperitee Beth war / by thise ensamples trewe and olde [Lucifer.] AT lucifer / thogh he an Aungel were And nat a man / at hym I wol bigynne ffor thogh ffortune / may noon Aungel dere ffrom heigh degree / yet fil he for his synne Doun in to Helle / where as he yet is Inne O Lucifer / brightest of Aungels alle Now artow Sathanas / that mayst nat twynne Out of Miserie / in which þat thou art falle [Adam.] Lo Adam in the feld of Damyssene[this stanza is in the margin in a later 15th-century hand] With godes owne fynger wrowt was he .. And nat bygeten of mannes sperme vnclene .. And welte al paradiis sauyng o tree .. Had neuer wordly man so hey degre .. As Adam til he for mysgouernance .. Was dryue owt of his hey prosperitee .. To labour and to helle and to meschance [Sampson.] LO Sampson / which that was anunciatSampson. By the Aungel / longe er his natiuitee And was / to god almyghty consecrat And stood in noblesse / whil that he myghte see Was neuere swich another / as was he To speke of strengthe / and ther-with hardynesse But to hise wyues / tolde he his secree Thurgh which / he slow hym self for wrecchednesse ¶ Sampson / this noble almyghty champion With-outen wepne / saue hise hondes tweye He slow / and al to-rente the leon Toward his weddyng walkynge by the weye His false wyf / koude hym so plese and preye Til she his conseil knew / and she vntrewe Vn-to his foos / his conseil gan biwreye And hym forsook/ and took another newe ¶ Thre hundred foxes / took Sampson for Ire And alle hir tayles / he togydre bond And sette the foxes tayles / alle on fire ffor he on euery tayl / hadde knyt a brond And they brende / alle the cornes in that Lond And alle hire Olyueris / and Vynes eke A thousand men / he slow with his hond And hadde no wepne / but an Asses cheke ¶ Whan they were slayn / so thursted hym / þat he Was wel ny lorn / for which he gan to preye That god / wolde on his peyne / haue som pitee And sende hym drynke / or ellis moste he deye And of this Asses cheke / that was dreye Out of a wang tooth / sprang anon a welle Of which he drank ynogh / shortly to seye Thus heelp hym god / as Iudicum kan telle ¶ By verray force / at Gazan / on a nyght Maugree Philistiens / of that Citee The gates of the toun / he hath vp plight And on his bak ycaried hem hath he Hye on an hill / where as men myght hem se O noble almyghty Sampson / leef and deere Had thow nat toold / to wommen thy secree In al this world / ne hadde been thy peere ¶ This Sampson / neuere Ciser drank ne wyn Ne on his heed / cam Rasour noon ne shere By precept of the Messager deuyn ffor alle his strengthes / in his herys were And fully .xx. wynter / yeer by yere He hadde of Israel / the gouernance But soone / shal he wepe many a teere ffor wommen / shul hym bryngen to meschaunce ¶ Vn-to his lemman Dalida / he tolde That in his herys / al his strengthe lay And falsly / to his fomen she hym solde And slepynge in hir barm / vp on a day She made to clippe / or shere his heer away And made his fomen / al this craft espien And whan þat they / hym fond in this array They bounde hym faste / and putten out his eyen ¶ But/ er his heer / was clipped or yshaue Ther was no bond / with which / men myghte hym bynde But now is he / in prisone in a Caue Where as they made hym / at the querne grynde O noble Sampson / strengest of mankynde O whilom / Iuge in glorie / and in richesse Now / maystow wepen / with thyne eyen blynde Sith thow fro wele / art falle in wrecchednesse ¶ The ende of this caytif was as I shal seye His fomen / made a feste vp-on a day And made hym as hire fool / bifore hem pleye And this was / in a temple of greet array But atte laste / he made a foul affray ffor he two pilers shook / and made hem falle And doun fil temple and al / and there it lay And slow hym self / and eek his fomen alle ¶ This is to seyn / the Prynces euerychon And eek thre thousand bodies / were ther slayn With fallyng of the grete temple of stoon Of Sampson / now wol I namoore sayn Beth war by this ensample / old and playn That no men / telle hir conseil / til hir wyues Of swich thyng as they wolde han secree fayn If þat it touche / hir lymes / or hir lyues [Hercules.] Of hercules / the souereyn conquerour¶ Hercules. Syngen hise werkes / laude and heigh renoun ffor in his tyme / of strengthe he was the flour He slow / and rafte the skyn fro the leoun He of Centauros / leyde the boost adown He Arpies slow / the cruel briddes felle The golden Apples / rafte of the dragoun He drow out Cerberus / the hound of helle ¶ He slow the cruel tyrant Busirus And made his hors / to frete hym flessh and bon He slow the firy serpent venymus Of Achilois two hornes / he brak oon And he slow Cakus / in a Caue of stoon He slow the geant. Antheus the stronge He slow the grisly boor / and that anon And bar the heuene / on his nekke longe ¶ Was neuere wight sith þat this world bigan That slew so manye monstres / as dide he Thurgh-out this wide world / his name ran What for his strengthe / and for his heigh bountee And euery Reawme / wente he for to se He was so strong þat no man myghte hym lette At bothe the worldes endes / seith Trophee /¶ Ille vates Calde|orum Tropheus. In stede of boundes / he a piler sette ¶ A lemman / hadde this noble champion That highte Dian[i]ra / fressh as May And as thise clerkes / maken mencion She hath hym sent a sherte / fressh and gay Allas this sherte / allas and weylaway Enuenymed was / so subtilly with alle That er þat he / hadde wered it half a day It made his flessh / al from hise bones falle ¶ But natheles / somme clerkes hire excusen By oon þat highte Nessus / þat it maked Be as be may / I wol hire noght accusen But on his bak the sherte he wered al naked Til þat his flessh / was for the venym blaked And whan he say / noon oother remedie In hote coles / he hath hym seluen raked ffor with no venym / deigned hym to dye ¶ Thus starf / this worthy myghty Hercules Lo who may truste on ffortune / any throwe ffor hym þat folweth / al this world of prees Er he be war / is ofte yleyd ful lowe fful wys is he / þat kan hym seluen knowe Beth war / for whan þat ffortune list to glose Thanne waiteth she / hir man to ouerthrowe By swich a wey / as he wolde leest suppose [Nebuchadnezzar.] The myghty trone / the precious tresor /Nabugodonosor The glorious ceptre / and roial maiestee That hadde / the kyng Nabugodonosor With tonge / vnnethe / may discryued be He twies / wan Ierusalem the Citee The vessel of the temple / he with hym ladde At Babiloigne / was his souereyn see In which / his glorie / and his delit he hadde ¶ The faireste children / of the blood roial Of Israel / he leet do gelde anon And maked ech of hem / to been his thral Amonges othere / Danyel was oon That was / the wiseste child of euerychoon ffor he the dremes / of the kyng expowned Ther as in Chaldeye / clerk/ ne was ther noon That wiste / to what fyn his dremes sowned ¶ This proude kyng leet make a Statue of gold Sixty cubites long and Seuene in brede To which ymage / he bothe yong and old Comanded to loute / and haue in drede Or in a fourneys / ful of flambes rede He shal be brend / that wolde noght obeye But neuere / wolde assente to that dede Danyel / ne hise yonge felawes tweye ¶ This kyng of kynges / proud was and elat He wende / that god / þat sit in magestee Ne myghte hym nat bireue / of his estat But sodeynly / he loste his dignytee And lyk a beest hym semed for to be And eet hey as an Oxe / and lay ther oute In reyn / with wilde beestes walked he Til certeyn tyme / was ycome aboute ¶ And lyk an Egles fetheres / wax hise herys Hise nayles / lyk a briddes clawes weere Til god relessed hym / a certeyn yerys And yaf hym wit and thanne with many a teere He thanked god / and euere his lyf in feere Was he to doon amys / or moore trespace And til that tyme / he leyd was on his beere He knew / that god / was ful of myght & grace [Belshazzar.] ¶ His sone / which that highte Balthasar/ Balthasar / That heeld the regne / after his fader day He by his fader / koude noght be war ffor proud he was / of herte and of array And eek an ydolastre / was he ay His hye estat / assured hym in pryde But ffortune caste hym down / and ther he lay And sodeynly / his regne gan dyuyde ¶ A feste he made / vn-to hise lordes alle Vp-on a tyme / and made hem blithe be And thanne hise Officers / gan he calle Gooth bryngeth forth / the vessels quod he Whiche that my fader / in his prosperitee Out of the temple of Ierusalem / birafte And to oure hye goddes / thanke we Of honour / that oure eldres / with vs lafte ¶ His wyf / hise lordes / and hise concubynes Ay dronken / whil hire appetites laste Out of thise noble vessels / sondry wynes And on a wal / this kyng hise eyen caste And say an hand armlees / that wroot ful faste ffor feere of which / he quook / and siked soore This hand / þat Balthasar so soore agaste Wroot Mane techel phares / and namoore ¶ In al that land / Magicien was noon That koude expounde / what that lettre mente But Danyel / expowned it anoon And seyde / Kyng god to thy fader lente Glorie / and honour / regne / tresor / rente And he was proud / and no thyng god ne dradde And ther-fore / god greet wreche vp-on hym sente And hym birefte / the regne þat he hadde ¶ He was out cast of mannes compaignye With Asses / was his habitacion And eet hey as a beest in weet and drye Til þat he knew / by grace / and by reson That god of heuene / han domynacion Ouer euery regne / and euery creature And thanne / hadde god of hym compassion And hym restored / his regne and his figure ¶ Eke / thow that art his sone / art proud also And knowest Alle thise thynges verraily And art rebel to god / and art his fo Thow drank eek / of his vessel boldely Thy wyf eke / and thy wenches synfully Dronke of the same vessels / sondry wynys And heriest false goddes cursedly Therfore to thee / yshapen ful greet pyne is ¶ This hand was sent fro god / that on the wal Wroot Mane techel phares / truste me Thy regne is doon / thow weyest noght at al Dyuyded is thy regne / and it shal be To Medes and to Perses / yeuen quod he And thilke same nyght this kyng was slawe And Darius / occupieth his degree Though he ther to / hadde neither right ne lawe ¶ Lordynges / ensample heer-by may ye take How that in lordshipe / is no sikernesse ffor whan ffortune / wol a man forsake She bereth awey / his regne and his richesse And eke hise freendes / bothe moore and lesse ffor what man / þat hath freendes thurgh ffortune Mishape / wol make hem enemys I gesse This prouerbe / is ful sooth / and ful commune [Zenobia.] CEnobia / of Palymerie queene As writen Perciens / of hir noblesse So worthy was in Armes / and so keene That no wight passed hire in hardynesse Ne in lynage / ne oother gentilesse Of kynges blood of Perce / is she descended I sey nat þat she hadde moost fairnesse But of hir shape / she myghte nat been amended ¶ ffrom hire childhede / I fynde þat she fledde Office of wommen / and to wode she wente And many / a wilde hertes blood she shedde With Arwes brode / that she to hem sente She was so swift þat she anoon hem hente And whan þat she was elder / she wolde kille Leons / Leopardes / and Beres al torente And in hir Armes / welde hem at hir wille ¶ Sche dorste / wilde beestes dennes seke And rennen in the montaynes / al the nyght And slepen vnder the bussh / and she koude eke Wrastlen / by verray force / and verray myght With any yong man / were he neuer so wight Ther myghte no thyng in hir armes stonde She kepte hir maydenhede / from euery wight. To no man / deigned hire to be bonde ¶ But atte laste / hir freendes han hire maryed To Onedake / a prynce of that contree Al were it so / that she hem longe taryed And ye shal vnderstande / how þat he Hadde swiche fantasies / as hadde she But nathelees / whan they weere knyt in feeresimul They lyued / in ioye / and in felicitee ffor ech of hem / hadde oother lief and deere ¶ Saue o thyng that she wolde neuere assente By no wey / that he sholde by hire lye But ones / for it was hir pleyn entente To haue a child / the world to multiplye And also soone / as that she myghte espye That she was nat with childe / with that dede Thanne wolde she suffren hym doon his fantasye Eft soone / and noght but ones / out of drede ¶ And if she were with childe / at thilke cast Namoore / sholde he pleyen thilke game Til fully / .xl. dayes weren past Thanne wolde she ones / suffre hym do the same Al were this Onedake / wilde / or tame He gat namoore of hire / for thus she seyde It was to wyues / lecherie and shame In oother cas / if þat men with hem pleyde ¶ Two sones / by this Onedake hadde she The whiche she kepte / in vertu and lettrure But now / vn-to oure tale turne we I seye / so worshipful a creature And wys ther-with / and large with mesure So penyble in the werre / and curteis eke Ne moore labour / myghte in werre endure Was noon / thogh al this world men sholde seke ¶ Hir riche array / ne myghte nat be toold As wel in vessel / as in hire clothyng She was al clad / in perree and in gold And eek she lafte noght for noon huntyng To haue / of sondry tonges ful knowyng Whan þat she leyser hadde / and for to entende To lerne bookes / was al hir likyng How she in vertu / myghte hir lyf despende ¶ And shortly / of this storie for to trete So doughty was hire housbonde / and eek she That they conquered / manye regnes grete In thorient with many a fair Citee Appertenant vn-to the magestee Of Rome / and with strong hond / heeld hem ful faste Ne neuere myghte / hir fomen / doon hem flee Ay / whil that Onedakes dayes laste ¶ Hir batailles / who so list hem for to rede Agayn Sapor the kyng/ and othere mo And how / þat al this proces / fil in dede Why she conquered / and what title ther to And after / of hire meschief and hire wo How that she was / biseged and ytake Lat hym / vn-to my maister Petrak go That writ ynow of this / I vndertake ¶ Whan Onedake was deed / she myghtily The regnes heeld / and with hire propre hond Agayns hir foos / she faught so cruelly That ther nas kyng ne Prince in al that lond That he nas glad / if he þat grace fond That she ne wolde / vp-on his land werreye With hire / they made alliance by bond To been in pees / and lete hire ryde and pleye ¶ The Emperour of Rome / Claudius Ne hym biforn / the Romayn Galien Ne dorsten neuere / been so corageus Ne noon Ermyn / ne noon Egipcien No Surryen / ne noon Arabien With-Inne the feeldes / þat dorste with hire fighte Lest þat she wolde / hem with hir handes slen Or with hire meynee / putten hem to flighte ¶ In kynges habit wenten hire sones two As heires / of hir fadres regnes alle And Hermanno / and Thymalao Hir names weere / as Persiens hem calle But ay ffortune / hath in hire hony galle This myghty queene / may no while endure ffortune / out of hir regne made hire falle To wrecchednesse / and to mysauenture ¶ Aurelian / whan þat the gouernance Of Rome / cam in-to hise handes tweye He shoope / vp-on this queene / to doon vengeance And with his legions / he took his weye Toward Cenobie / and shortly for to seye He made hire flee / and atte laste hire hente And fettred hire / and eek hire children tweye And wan the land / and hoom to Rome he wente ¶ Amonges othere thynges / that he wan His Chaar / þat was with gold wroght & perree This grete Romayn / this Aurelian Hath with hym lad / for þat men sholde it see Biforn his triumphe / walketh she With gilte cheynes / on hire nekke hangynge Corowned was she / as after hire degree And ful of perree / charged hir clothynge ¶ Allas ffortune / she that whilom was Dredeful / to kynges / and to Emperoures Now gawreth al the peple / on hire allas And she that helmed was / in starke stoures And wan by force / townes stronge and toures Shal on hire heed / now were a vitremyte And she þat bar / the Ceptre ful of floures Shal bere a distaf hire cost for to quyte[The modern instances which should come here, are at the end of the Tale in this MS.] [Nero.] Al though / that Nero were vicius/ De Nerone As any feend / that lyth ful lowe adown Yet he / as telleth vs Swetonius This wide world / hadde in subieccioun Bothe Est and West North / and Septemtrioun Of Rubies / Saphires / and of perles white Were alle hise clothes / browded vp and doun ffor he in gemmes / greetly gan delite ¶ Moore delicat moore pompous of array Moore proud / was neuere Emperour than he That ilke clooth / that he hadde weryd o day After that tyme / he nolde it neuere see Nettes of gold threed / hadde he greet plentee To fisshen in Tybre / whan hym liste pleye Hise lustes were al lawe / in his decree ffor ffortune / as his freend / hym wolde obeye ¶ He Rome brende / for his delicacie The Senatours / he slow vp-on a day To heere / how þat men wolde wepe & crye And slow his brother / and by his suster lay His moder he made / in pitous array ffor he hire wombe slytte / to biholde Where he conceyued was / so weilaway That he so litel / of his moder tolde ¶ No teere out of hise eyen / for that sighte Ne cam / but seyde / a fair womman was she Greet wonder is / how þat he koude / or myghte Be domesman / of hire dede beautee The wyn to bryngen hym / comanded he And drank anoon / noon oother wo he made Whan myght is ioyned / vn-to crueltee Allas to depe / wol the venym wade [¶] In youthe / a maister hadde this Emperour To teche hym lettrure / and curteisye ffor of moralitee / he was the flour As in his tyme / but if bookes lye And whil this maister / hadde of hym maistrye He maked hym / so louyng and so souple That longe tyme it was / er tirannye Or any vice / dorste in hym vncouple ¶ This Seneca / of which þat I deuyse By cause Nero / hadde of hym swich drede ffor he fro vices / wolde hym ay chastise Discretly / as by word / and nat by dede Sire wolde he seyn / an Emperour moot nede Be vertuous / and hate tirannye ffor which he in a bath / made hym to blede On bothe hise armes / til he moste dye ¶ This Nero / hadde eek / of acustumance In youthe / agayns his maister for to rise Which afterward / hym thoughte a greet greuance Ther-fore / he made hym dyen in this wise But nathelees / this Seneca the wise Chees / in a bath / to dye in this manere Rather than han / another tormentrise And thus hath Nero / slayn his maister deere ¶ Now fil it so / that ffortune liste no lenger The hye pride of Nero / to cherice ffor thogh þat he was strong/ yet was she strenger She thoghte thus / by god I am to nyce To sette a man / that is fulfild of vice In heigh degree / and Emperour hym calle By god / out of his sete I wol hym trice Whan he leest weneth / sonnest shal he falle ¶ The peple roos / vp on hym / on a nyght ffor his defaute / and whan he it espied Out of his dores / anon he hath hym dight Allone / and there he wende han been allyed He knokked faste / and ay the moore he cryed The faster shette they / the dores alle ffor drede of this / hym thoughte þat he dyed And wente his wey / no lenger dorste he calle ¶ The peple cryde / and rombled vp and doun That with hise erys / herde he / how they seyde Where is this false tirant this Neroun ffor fere almoost out of his wit he breyde And to hise goddes / pitously he preyde ffor socour / but it myghte noght bityde ffor drede of this / hym thoughte þat he deyde And ran in to a gardyn / hym to hyde ¶ And in this gardyn / foond he cherles tweye That seten by a fyr / greet and reed And to thise cherlis two / he gan to preye To sleen hym / and to girden of his heed That to his body / whan þat he were deed Were no despit ydoon / for his defame Hym self he slow / he koude no bettre reed Of which / ffortune / lough and hadde a game [Holofernes.] ¶ Was neuere Capitayn / vnder a kyng/ De Oloferno That regnes mo / putte in subieccioun Ne strenger was in feeld / of alle thyng As in his tyme / ne gretter of renoun Ne moore pompous / in heigh presumpcioun Than Oloferne / which ffortune ay kiste So likerously / and ladde hym vp and doun Til þat his heed was of / er that he wiste ¶ Nat oonly / that this world hadde hym in awe ffor lesynge / of richesse / or libertee But made euery man / reneyen his lawe Nabugodonosor / was god seyde he Noon oother god / sholde adoured be Agayns this heste / no wight dorste trespace Saue in Bethulia / a strong Citee// Et fecerunt filij Israel / secundum quod constituerat eis sacerdos dom|ini Eliachym Where Eliachym / a preest was of that place ¶ But tak kepe / of the deeth of Oloferne Amydde his oost he dronke lay a nyght With-Inne his tente / large as is a berne And yet for al his pompe / and al his myght Iudith a womman / as he lay vpright Slepynge / his heed of smoot and from his tente fful pryuely she stal / from euery wight And with his heed / vn-to hir toun she wente [Antiochus.] What nedeth it of kyng Anthiochus To telle / his hye Roial magestee His hye pryde / hise werkes venymus ffor swich another / was ther noon as he Reed which that he was / in Machabee And reed / the proude wordes / þat he seyde And why he fil / fro heigh prosperitee And in an Hille / how wrecchedly he deyde ¶ ffortune / hym hadde enchaunted so in pride That verraily / he wende he myghte attayne Vn-to the sterres / vp on euery syde And in balance / weyen ech montayne And alle the floodes / of the see restrayne And goddes peple / hadde he moost in hate Hem wolde he sleen / in torment and in payne Wenynge / that god ne myghte / his pryde abate ¶ And for that Nichanore / and Thymothe Of Iewes / weren venquysshed myghtily Vn-to the Iewes / swich an hate hadde he That he bad greithe his Chaar ful hastily And swoor / and seyde ful despitously Vn-to Ierusalem / he wolde eft soone To wreken his Ire / on it ful cruelly But of his purpos / he was let ful soone ¶ God for his manace / hym so soore smoot With invisible wounde / ay incurable That in hise guttes / carf it so and boot That hise peynes / weren inportable And certeinly / the wreche was resonable ffor many a mannes guttes / dide he peyne But from his purpos / cursed and dampnable ffor al his smert he wolde hym nat restreyne ¶ But bad anon / apparaillen his hoost And sodeynly / er he was of it war God daunted / al his pride / and al his boost ffor he / so soore fil / out of his char That it hise lymes / and his skyn totarlacerauit So þat / he neither myghte go ne ryde But in a chayer / men aboute hym bar Al forbrused / bothe bak and syde ¶ The wreche of god / hym smoot so cruelly That thurgh his body / wikked wormes crepte And ther with al / he stank so horribly That noon / of al his meynee þat hym kepte Wheither so he wook/ or ellis slepte Ne myghte noght for stynk of hym endure Is this meschief / he wayled and eek wepte And knew god / lord of euery creature ¶ To al his hoost and to hym self also fful wlatsom / was the stynk of his careyne No man / ne myght hym bere to ne fro And in this stynk and this horrible peyne He starf ful wrecchedly / in a monteyne Thus hath this Robbour / and this homycide That many a man / made to wepe and pleyne Swich gerdon / as bilongeth vn-to pryde [Alexander the Great.] The Storie of Alisandre / is so commune/ De Alexandro That euery wight þat hath discrecion Hath herd som-what or al / of his fortune This wide world / as in conclusion He wan by strengthe / or for hys hye renon They were glad / for pees vn-to hym sende The pryde / of man and beest / he leyde adoun Where so he cam / vn-to the worldes ende ¶ Comparison / myghte neuere yet ben maked Bitwixe hym / and another Conquerour ffor al this world / for drede of hym hath quaked He of knyghthod / and of fredom flour ffortune hym made / the heir of hire honour Saue wyn and wommen / no thyng myghte aswage His hye entente / in armes and labour So was he ful / of leonyn corage ¶ What prys were it to hym / thogh I yow tolde Of Darius / and an hundred thousand mo Of kynges / Prynces / Dukes / Erles bolde Whiche he conquered / and broghte hem in-to wo I seye / as fer / as man may ride or go The world was his / what sholde I moore deuyse ffor thogh I write / or tolde yow euere mo Of his knyghthode / it myghte nat suffise [T]welf yeer he regned / as seith Machabee Philippes sone of Macidoyne / he was That first was kyng in Grece the contree O worthy / gentil Alisandre allas That euere / sholde fallen swich a cas Empoysoned / of thyn owene folk thow weere Thyn sys / ffortune hath turned in-to Aas And for thee / ne weep she neuer a teere ¶ Who shal me yeue teeris / to compleyne The deeth / of gentilesse / and of franchise That al this world / weldid in his demeyne And yet hym thoughte / it myghte nat suffise So ful was his corage / of heigh emprise Allas / who shal me helpe to endite ffalse ffortune / and poyson to despise The whiche two / of al this wo I wyte [Julius Cœsar.] By wisdom / manhede / and by greet labour/ De Iulio Cesare ffrom humble bed / to Roial magestee Vp roos / he Iulius the Conquerour That wan al the Occident by land and see By strengthe of hond / or ellis by tretee And vn-to Rome / made hem tributarie And sith of Rome / the Emperour was he Til that ffortune / weex his Aduersarie ¶ O myghty Cesar / that in Thessalie Agayn Pompeus / fader thyn in lawe That of thorient hadde al the chiualrie As fer / as þat the day bigynneth dawe Thow / thurgh thy knyghthod / hast hem take & slawe Saue fewe folk þat with Pompeus fledde Thurgh which / thow puttest al Thorient in Awe Thanke ffortune / that so wel thee spedde ¶ But now a litel while / I wol biwaille This Pompeus / this noble gouernour Of Rome / which þat fleigh at this bataille I seye / oon of hise men / a fals traitour His heed of smoot/ to wynnen hym fauour Of Iulius / and hym the heed he broghte Allas Pompeie / of Thorient conquerour That ffortune / vn-to swich a fyn thee broghte ¶ To Rome agayn / repaireth Iulius With his triumphe / lauriat ful hye But on a tyme / Brutus Cassius That euere hadde / of his heighe estat enuye fful pryuely / hath maad conspiracie Agayns this Iulius / in subtil wise And caste the place / in which he sholde dye With Boydekyns / as I shal yow deuyse ¶ This Iulius / to the Capitolie wente Vp-on a day / as he was wont to goon And in the Capitolie / anon hym hente This false Brutus / and hise othere foon And stiked hym / with Boydekyns anon With many a wounde / and thus they lete hym lye But neuere gronte he / at no strook but oon Or ellis at two / but if his storie lye ¶ So manly / was this Iulius of herte And so wel / louede estatly honestee And thogh hise deedly woundes / so sore smerte His mantel ouer his hipes / caste he ffor no man / sholde seen his pryuetee And as he lay / of dyyng in a traunce And wiste verraily that deed was he Of honestee / yet hadde he remembraunce ¶ Lucan. / to thee this storie I recomende And to Sweton / and to Valerius also That of this storie / writen word & ende How that to thise grete Conquerours two ffortune / was first freend / and siththe a foo No man ne triste / vp-on hire fauour longe But haue hire / in awayt for euere mo Witnesse / on alle thise Conquerours stronge [Cresus.] This riche Cresus / whilom kyng of Lyde[Cresus] Of which Cresus / Cirus soore hym dradde Yet was he caught amyddes al his pryde And to be brent/ men to the fyr hym ladde But swich a reyn / doun fro the welkne shadde That slow the fyr / and made hym to escape But to be war / no grace yet he hadde Til ffortune / on the galwes made hym gape [Rats.Wh]anne he escaped was / he kan nat stente ffor to bigynne / a newe werre agayn He wende wel / for þat ffortune hym sente Swich hape / that he escaped thurgh the rayn That of his foos / he myghte nat be slayn And eek a sweuene / vp-on a nyght he mette Of which / he was so proud / and eek so fayn That in vengeance / he al his herte sette ¶ Vp on a tree he was / as þat hym thoughte Ther Iuppiter hym wessh / bothe bak and syde And Phebus eek / a fair towaille hym broughte To drye hym with / and ther-fore wax his pryde And to his doghter / that stood hym bisyde Which that he knew / in heigh sentence habounde And bad hire telle hym / what it signyfide And she his dreem / bigan right thus expounde ¶ The tree quod she / the galwes is to mene And Iuppiter / bitokneth snow and reyn And Phebus / with his towaille so clene Tho been / the sonnes stremes for to seyn Thow shalt an hanged be / fader certeyn Reyn shal thee wasshe / and sonne shal thee drye Thus warned hym / ful plat and ful pleyn His doghter / which þat called was Phanye ¶ An hanged was Cresus / the proude kyng His Roial trone / myghte hym nat auaille Tragedies noon oother manere thyng Ne kan in syngyng/ crye ne biwaille But þat ffortune / alwey wole assaille With vnwar strook/ the regnes þat been proude ffor whan men trusteth hire / thanne wol she faille And couere hire brighte face / with a clowde[These 4 modern instances ought to follow 'Zenobia,' p. 268.] [Peter the Cruel, of Spain.] O noble / o worthy Petro / glorie of SpayneDe Petro Ispannie Whom ffortune heeld / so heighe in magestee Wel oghten men / thy pitous deeth complayne Out of thy land / thy brother made thee flee And after at a sege / by subtiltee Thow were bitraysed / and lad vn-to his tente Where as he / with his owene hand slow thee Succedynge / in thy regne and in thy rente ¶ The feeld of snow / with thegle of blak ther-Inne Caught with the lymrod / coloured as the glede[Bertrand du Guesclin.] He brew this cursednesse / and al this synne The wikked nest was werkere of this nede Noght Charles Olyuer / þat took ay hede of trouthe and honour / but of Armorike[Oliver de Mauny of Britanny.] Genylon Olyuer / corrupt for mede Broghte this worthy kyng in swich a brike [Peter of Cyprus.] O worthy Petro / kyng of Cipre alsoDe Petro de Cipro That Alisaundre wan / by heigh maistrie fful many an hethen / wroghtestow ful wo Of which / thyne owene liges hadde envie And for no thyng but for thy chiualrie They in thy bed / han slayn thee by the morwe Thus kan ffortune / hire wheel gouerne and gye And out of ioye / brynge men to sorwe [Bernabo Visconti, of Milan.] Of Melan / grete Barnabo Viscounte/ De Barnabo / God of delit and scourge of Lumbardye Why sholde I noght thyn Infortune acounte Sith in estat/ thow clombe were so hye Thy brother sone / that was thy double allye ffor he thy Nevew was / and sone in lawe With-Inne his prison / made thee to dye But why ne how / noot .I. that thow were slawe [Ugolino, Count of Pisa.] Of the Erl Hugelyn of Pize / the langour/ De hugelyn Comite de Pize Ther may no tonge / tellen for pitee But litel out of Pize / stant a tour In which[e] tour / in prison put was he And with hym been / hise litel children thre The eldeste scarsly / fyue yeer was of age Allas ffortune / it was greet crueltee Swiche briddes / for to putte in swich a cage ¶ Dampned was he / to dyen in that prison ffor Roger / which þat bisshope was of Pize Hadde on hym maad / a fals suggestion Thurgh which the peple / gan vp on hym rise And putten hym to prison / in swich wise As ye han herd / and mete and drynke he hadde So smal / that wel vnnethe it may suffise And ther with al / it was ful poure and badde [Rats.A]nd on a day bifel / þat in that hour Whan þat his mete / wont was to be broght The Gayler / shette the dores of the tour He herde it wel / but he spak / right noght And in his herte / anon ther fil a thoght That they for hunger / wolde doon hym dyen Allas quod he / allas þat I was wroght Ther with / the teeris fillen from hise eyen ¶ His yonge sone / þat thre yeer was of age Vn-to hym seyde / fader / fader / why do ye wepe Whanne wol the Gayler / bryngen oure potage Is ther no morsel breed / þat ye do kepe I am so hungry / that I may nat slepe Now wolde god / þat I myghte slepen euere Thanne sholde noght hunger / in my wombe crepe Ther is no thyng but breed / þat me were leuere ¶ Thus day by day / this child bigan to crye Til in his fadres barm / adoun it lay And seyde / farewel fader / I moot dye And kiste his fader / and deyde the same day And whan the woful fader / deed it say ffor wo / hise armes two / he gan to byte And seyde / allas ffortune and weylaway Thy false wheele / my wo al may I wyte ¶ Hise children wende / that it for hunger was That he hise armes gnow / and nat for wo And seyden fader / do nat so allas But rather / ete the flessh vp-on vs two Oure flessh thow yaf taak oure flessh vs fro And ete ynow / right thus they to hym seyde And after that with-Inne a day / or two They leyde hem / in his lappe adoun / and deyde ¶ Hym self despeired / eek / for hunger starf Thus ended is / this myghty Erl of Pize ffrom heigh estat. ffortune awey hym carf Of this tragedie / it oghte ynogh suffise Who so wole it heere it in a lenger wise Redeth / the grete Poete of Ytaille That highte Dant. for he kan al deuyse ffro point to point nat o word wol he faille Here is ended the Monkes tale ¶ This is the Prologe / of the Nonne Prees [tesRats.] tale. HO quod the knyght good sire namoore of this That ye han seyd / is right ynow ywis And muchel moore / for litel heuynesse Is right ynow / to muche folk I gesse[no gap in Hengwrt] [I seye for me hit is a grete disese where as men han ben in grete welþe & ese To heren of her sodeyn fal allas And þe contrarie is ioye and grete solace As whan a man haþ be in pore estate And clymbeth vp and wexeth fortunate [And ther/ a-bideth in prosperite.] Suche þing is gladsom as hit þinketh me And þough suche þing were goodly forto telle Ȝe quod oure Oste by seynt poules belle Ȝe seie right soth þis monk he clappeth loude He spak how fortune couered in a cloude I not neuere what & also of a treiadie Right now ȝe herde and parde no remedie It is for to be-wayle ne complayne That that is doon and also hit is a payne As ȝe han saide to here of heuynesse Sire monk nomore of þis so god ȝou blesse Ȝoure tale annoyeth all þis companye Suche talkyng nys not worth a butterflye[MS Reg. ex|tract ends]] Youre tales / doon vs no desport ne game Wher-fore sire Monk/ o. daun Piers by youre name I prey yow hertely / telle vs som what ellis ffor sikerly / nere clynkyng of youre bellis That on youre bridel hange / on euery syde By heuene kyng þat for vs alle dyde I sholde er this / haue fallen doun for sleepe Al thogh the slow / hadde neuere ben so deepe Thanne hadde youre tale / al be toold in veyn ffor certeynly / as þat thise clerkes seyn Where as a man / may haue noon audience Naught helpeth it to tellen his sentence And wel I woot the substance is in me If any thyng shal wel reported be Sire / sey som what of huntyng I yow preye ¶ Nay quod this Monk I haue no lust to pleye Now lat another telle / as I haue toold ¶ Thanne spak oure hoost with rude speche & boold And seyde / vn-to the Nonnes preest anon Com neer thow preest com hider thow sir Iohn Telle vs swich thyng as may oure hertes glade Be blythe / though thow ryde vp-on a Iade What though thyn hors / be bothe foul and lene If he wol serue thee / rekke nat a bene Looke / that thyn herte / be murye euere mo ¶ Yis sire quod he / yis hoost so mote I go But I be murye / ywis I wol be blamed And right anon / his tale he hath attamed And thus he seyde / vn-to vs euerichon This sweete preest this goodly man sir IohnExplicit. ¶ Here bigynneth the Nonnes preestes tale of the Cok/ and Hen / Chauntecler & Pertelote / A poore widwe / som del stape in age was whilom dwellynge / in a narwe cotage Biside a groue / stondyng in a dale This widwe / of which I telle yow my tale Syn thilke day / þat she was last a wyf In pacience / ladde a ful symple lyf ffor / litel was hire catel and hire rente By housbondrye / of swich as god hire sente She foond hire self / and eek hire doghtren two Thre large sowes / hadde she and namo Thre kyn / and eek a sheepe / þat highte Malle fful sooty was hire bour / and eek hire halle In which she eet ful many a sklendre meel Of poynant sawce / hir neded neuer a deel No deyntee morsel / passed thurgh hir throte Hir diete / was acordant to hir cote Repleccion / ne made hire neuere syk Attempree diete / was al hire phisyk And excercise / and hertes suffisaunce The gowte / lette hire no thyng for to daunce Napoplexie / shente nat hire heed No wyn ne drank she / neither whit ne reed Hire bord was serued / moost with whit and blak Milk and broun breed / in which she foond no lak Seynd bacon / and som tyme an Ey / or tweye ffor she was / as it were / a maner deye A yeerd she hadde / enclosed al aboute With stikkes / and a drye dych with-oute In which / she hadde a cok/ heet Chantecler In al the land / of crowyng nas his peer His voys was murier / than the myrie Orgon On massedayes / þat in the chirche gon Wel sikerer / was his crowyng in his logge Than is a Clokke / or any Abbey Orlogge By nature / he knew ech ascencion Of equinoxial / in thilke town ffor whan degrees .xv. / were ascended Thanne krew he / þat it myghte nat ben amended His komb / was redder / than the fyn coral And batayled / as it were a Castel wal His byle was blak and as the Ieet it shoon Lyk Asure / were hise legges and his toon Hise nayles whitter / than the lylye flour And lyk the burned gold / was his colour This gentil cok/ hadde in his gouernaunce Seuene hennes / for to doon al his plesaunce Whiche were hise sustres / and his paramours And wonder lyke to hym / as of colours Of whiche / the faireste hewed on hire throte Was clepid / faire damoysele Pertelote Curteys she was / discret/ and debonaire And compaignable / and bar hir self so faire Syn thilke day / þat she was seuen nyght oold That trewely / she hath the herte in hoold Of Chantecler / loken in euery lyth He loued hire so / þat wel was hym ther with But swich a ioye was it to here hem synge Whan þat / the brighte sonne gan to sprynge In swete acord / my leef/ is faren in londe ffor thilke tyme / as I haue vnderstonde Beestes / and briddes / kouden speke and synge And so bifel / þat in a dawenynge As Chantecler / among hise wyues alle Sat on his perche / that was in the halle And next hym sat this faire Pertelote This Chantecler / gan gronen in his throte As man / þat in his dreem / is drecched soore ¶ And whan þat Pertelote / thus herde hym rore She was agast/ and seyde herte deere What eyleth yow · to grone in this manere Ye ben a verray slepere / fy for shame ¶ And he answerde / and seyde thus / madame I prey yow / þat ye take it nat agrief By god me mette / I was in swich meschief Right now / þat yet myn herte is soore afright Now god quod he / my sweuene recche aright Rats.[A]nd kepe my body / out of foul prisoun Me mette / how that I romed vp and doun With-Inne oure yeerd / where as I say a beest Was lyk an hound / and wolde han maad arest Vp-on my body / and han had me ded His colour / was bitwixe yelow and red And tipped was his tayl / and bothe hise erys With blak vnlik the remenant of hise herys His snowte smal / with glowyng eyen tweye Yet of his look for fere almoost I deye This caused me / my gronyng doutelees ¶ Avoy quod she / fy on yow hertelees Allas quod she / for by that god aboue Now han ye lost myn herte and al my loue I kan nat loue a Coward / by my feith ffor certes / what so any womman seith We alle desiren / if it myghte be To han housbondes / hardy / wise and fre And secree / and no nygard / ne no fool Ne hym / þat is agast of euery tool Ne noon auauntour / by that god aboue How dorste ye seyn / for shame / vn-to youre loue That any thyng myghte make yow aferd Haue ye no mannes herte / and han a berd Allas / and konne ye ben agast of sweuenys No thyng god woot but vanytee in sweuene is Sweuenes / engendren of replexions And ofte / of fume / and of complexions Whan humours / ben to habundant in a wight Certes this dreem / which ye han met to nyght Comth / of the grete superfluitee Of youre rede Colera pardee Which causeth folk / to dreden in hir dremes Of Arwes / and of fyr with rede lemes Of rede bestes / that they wol hem byte Of contek and of whelpes grete and lyte Right as the humour / of Malencolie Causeth ful many a man / in sleepe to crie ffor fere of blake beres / or boles blake Or ellis / blake deueles wol hem take Of othere humours / koude I telle also That werken many a man / in sleep ful wo But I wol passe / as lightly as I kan Lo Caton which þat was so wys a man Seyde he nat thus / ne do no fors of dremes Now sire quod she / whan we fle fro thise bemes ffor goddes loue / as taak som laxatif Vp peril of my soule / and of my lif I conseile yow the beste / I wol nat lye That bothe of Colere / and of Malencolye Ye purge yow / and for ye shal nat tarye Thogh/ in this town / is noon Apothecarye I shal my self / to herbes techen yow That shul ben / for youre heele and for youre prow And in oure yerd / tho herbes shal I fynde The whiche han / of hire propretee by kynde To purge yow / bynethe and eek aboue fforyet nat this / for goddes owene loue Ye ben ful colerik of complexion Ware the sonne / in his Ascencion Ne fynde yow nat replet of humours hote And if it do / I dar wel leye a grote That ye shul haue / a feuere terciane Or an Agew / þat may be youre bane A day / or two / ye shul han degestyues Of wormes / er ye take youre laxatyues Of Lauriol / Centaure and ffumetere Or ellis of Ellebor / that groweth there Of Katapuce / or of Gaytrys beryis Of herbe yue growyng in oure yerd / they merye is Pekke hem vp right as ther growe / and ete hem In Be myrie housbonde / for youre fader kyn Dredeth no dreem / I kan sey yow namoore ¶ Madame quod he / grant mercy of youre loore But nathelees / as touchyng dann Catoun That hath of wisdom / swich a gret renoun Thogh þat he bad / no dremes for to drede By god men may / in olde bokes rede Of many a man / moore of auctoritee Than euere Caton was / so mote I thee Rats.[T]hat al the reuers seyn / of his sentence And han wel founden / by experience That dremes / ben signyficacions As wel / of ioye / as tribulacions That folk enduren / in this lyf present Ther nedeth / make of this noon argument The verray preue / sheweth it in dede ¶ Oon of the gretteste Auctour / þat men rede Seith thus / þat whilom two felawes wente On pilgrymage / in a ful good entente And happed so / they coomen in a town Where as ther was / swich congregacioun Of peple / and eek so streit of herbergage That they ne founde / as muche as o cotage In which they bothe / myghte ylogged be Wherfore / they mosten of necessitee As for that nyght departe compaignye And ech of hem / gooth to his hostelrye And took his loggyng as it wolde falle That oon of hem / was logged in a stalle ffer in a yeerd / with oxen of the plow That oother man / was logged wel ynow As was his auenture / or his fortune That vs gouerneth alle / as in commune And so bifel / þat longe / er it were day This man mette in his bed / ther as he lay How þat his felawe / gan vp-on hym calle And seyde allas / for in an Oxes stalle This nyght I shal be mordred ther I lye Now help me deere brother / or I dye In alle haste / com to me / he sayde ¶ This man / out of his sleepe / for feere abrayde But whan þat he was wakned / of his sleep He turned hym / and took of this no keepe Hym thoughte / his dreem nas but a vanytee Thus twies / in his slepyng dremed he And atte thridde tyme / yet his felawe Cam as hym thoughte / and seyde I am now slawe Bihoold my blody woundes / depe and wyde Arys vp erly / in the morwe tyde And atte Westgate of the town quod he A Carte ful of donge / ther shaltow se In which / my body is hyd ful priuely Do thilke Cart aresten boldely My gold caused my mordre / sooth to seyn And tolde hym euery poynt how he was sleyn With a ful pitous face / pale of hewe And truste wel / his dreem he fond ful trewe ffor on the morwe / as soone as it was day To his felawes In / he took the way And whan þat he cam / to this Oxes stalle After his felawe / he bigan to calle ¶ The hostiler / answerde hym anon And seyde / sire / youre felawe is agon As soone as day / he wente out of the town ¶ This man / gan fallen in suspecioun Remembrynge / on hise dremes þat he mette And forth he goth / no lenger wolde he lette Vn-to the westgate of the town / and fond A dong Carte / went as it were to donge lond That was arrayed / in that same wise As ye han herd / the dede man deuyse And with an hardy herte / he gan to crye Vengeaunce / and Iustice / of this felonye My felawe / mordred is / this same nyght And in this Cart heere / he lyth gapyng vp-right I crye / on the Mynystres / quod he That sholde kepe / and rulen this Citee Harrow / allas / heere lyth my felawe slayn What sholde I moore / vn-to this tale sayn The peple vp sterte / and caste the Cart to grounde And in the myddel of the dong they founde The dede man / þat mordred was al newe ¶ O blisful god / þat art so Iust and trewe Lo / how þat thow biwreyest mordre alway Mordre wol out that se we day by day Mordre / is so wlatsom / and abhomynable To god / that is so Iust and resonable That he ne wod nat suffre it helyd be Though it abyde / a yeer / or two / or thre Rats.[M]ordre wol out this my conclusioun And right anon / Ministres of that town Han hent the Cartere / and so soore hym pyned And eek the hostiler / so sore engyned That they biknewe / hire wikkednesse anon And were anhanged / by the nekke bon Heere may men sen / þat dremes ben to drede ¶ And certes / in the same book I rede Right in the nexte Chapitre / after this I gabbe nat so haue I ioye or blys Two men / þat wolde han passed ouer see ffor certeyn cause / in-to a fer contree If þat the wynd / ne hadde ben contrarie That made hem / in a Citee for to tarie That stood ful myrie / vp on an hauen syde But on a day / agayn the euen tyde The wynd gan chaunge / and blew right as hem leste Iolif and glad / they wenten vn-to reste And casten hem / ful erly for to sayle But herkneth / to that o man / fil a gret meruaille ¶ That oon of hem / in slepyng as he lay Hym mette a wonder dreem / agayn the day Hym thoughte / a man stood / by his beddes syde And hym comanded / þat he sholde abyde And seyde hym thus / if thow tomorwe wende Thow shalt be dreynt my tale is at an ende ¶ He wook / and tolde his felawe what he mette And preyde hym / his viage to lette As for that day / he preyde hym to byde ¶ His felawe / þat lay / by his beddes syde Gan for to laughe / and scorned hym ful faste No dreem quod he / may so myn herte agaste That I wol lette / for to do my thynges I sette nat a straw / by thy dremynges ffor sweuenes ben / but vanytees and Iapes Men dreme al day / of Owles / or of Apes And of many a maze / ther with al Men dreme of thyng þat neuere was ne shal But sith I see / þat thow wolt here abyde And thus forslewthen / wilfully thy tyde God woot it reweth me / and haue good day And thus / he took his leue / and wente his way But er þat he / hadde half his cours yseyled Noot I nat why / ne what meschaunce it eyled But casuelly / the shippes botme rente And shipe and man / vnder the water wente In sighte of othere shippes / it bisyde That with hem seyled / at the same tyde And therfore / faire Pertelote so deere By swiche ensamples olde / maystow leere That no man / sholde ben to recchelees Of dremes / for I sey thee doutelees That many a dreem / ful soore is for to drede ¶ Lo / in the lyf of Seint Kenelm I rede That was Kenulphus sone / the noble Kyng Of Mertenrike / how Kenelm mette a thyng Alite / er he was mordred / on a day His mordre / in his auysion he say His norice / hym expowned euery del His sweuene / and bad hym for to kepe hym wel ffor trayson / but he nas but .vij. yeer old And therfore / litel tale hath he told Of any dreem / so holy was his herte By god / I hadde leuere than my sherte That ye hadde rad his legende / as haue I Dame Pertelote / I sey yow trewely Macrobeus / that writ the Auysion In Affrike / of the worthy Cipion Affermeth dremes / and seith þat they ben Warnynge of thynges / þat men after sen ¶ And forther moore / I pray yow looketh wel In the olde testament of Danyel If he heeld dremes / any vanytee ¶ Rede eek of Ioseph / and there shul ye see Wher dremes be som tyme / I sey nat alle Warnynge of thynges / þat shul after falle ¶ Looke of Egipte / the Kyng Daun Pharao His bakere / and his butiller also Wher they ne felte / noon effect in dremes Who so wol seke / Actes of sondry Remes Rats.[M]ay rede of dremes / many a wonder thyng ¶ Lo Cresus / which þat was of Lyde kyng Mette he nat þat he sat vp-on a tree Which signyfide / he sholde an hanged be ¶ Lo here Andromacha / Ectores wyf That day that Ector / sholde lese his lyf She dremed / on the same nyght biforn How þat the lyf of Ector sholde be lorn If thilke day / he wente in-to bataille She warned hym / but it myghte nat auaille He wente for to fighte / nathelees And he was slayn anon / of Achilles But thilke tale / is al to long to telle And eek / it is ney day / I may nat dwelle Shortly I seye / as for conclusion That I shal han / of this auysion Aduersitee / and I seye forther moor That I ne telle / of laxat·yues no stoor ffor they ben venymes / I woot it wel I hem deffie / I loue hem neuer a del ¶ Now lat vs speke of myrthe and stynte al this Madame Pertelote / so haue I blys Of o thyng god hath sent me large grace ffor whan I se / the beautee / of youre face Ye ben so scarlet reed / aboute youre eyen It maketh / al my drede for to deyen ffor also siker / as In principio Mulier / est hominis confusio Madame / the sentence / of this latyn is Womman / is mannes ioye and al his blys ffor whan I feele a nyght youre softe syde Al be it þat I may nat on yow ryde ffor þat oure perche / is maad so narwe allas I am so ful / of Ioye and of solas That I deffie / bothe sweuene and dreem And with that word / he fley doun fro the beem ffor it was day / and eke hise hennes alle And with a chuk he gan hem for to calle ffor he hadde founde a corn / lay in the yerd Real he was / he was namoore aferd He fethered Pertelote / twenty tyme And trad as ofte / er it was pryme He looketh / as it were a grym leoun And on hise toos / he rometh vp and doun Hym deyned nat/ to sette his foot to grounde And chukketh / whan he hath a corn yfounde And to hym rennen thanne / hise wyues alle Thus real / as a Prince is in his halle Leue I this Chauntecler / in his pasture And after / wol I telle his auenture ¶ Whan that the Monthe / in which the world bigan That highte March / whan god first maked man Was complet and passed were also Syn March bigan / 30. dayes and two Bifel / þat Chauntecler / in al his pryde Hise seuene wyues / walkyng him bisyde Caste vp hise eyen / to the brighte sonne That in the signe of Taurus / hadde yronne xx. degrees and oon /· and som what moore And knew by kynde / and by noon oother loore That it was pryme / and krew with blisful steuene The sonne he seyde / is clomben vp on heuene 40. degrees and oon / and moore ywis Madame Pertelote / my worldes blys Herkneth thyse blisful bryddes / how they synge And se the fresshe floures / how they sprynge fful is myn herte / of reuel and solas But sodeynly / hym fil a sorweful cas ffor euere the latter ende of ioye / is wo God woot þat worldly ioye / is soone ago And if a Rethor / koude faire endite He in a Cronycle / saufly myghte it write As for a souereyn notabiliteePetrus Comestor Now euery wys man / lat hym herkne me This storie / is also trewe I vndertake As is the book/ of Launcelot de Lake That wommen holde / in ful gret reuerence Now wol I / torne agayn to my sentence ¶ A Colfox / ful of sley Iniquitee That in the groue / hadde woned yeres thre Rats.[By] heigh ymaginacion / forncast The same nyght thurgh-out the hegges brast In-to the yerd / ther Chauntecler the faire Was wont and eek hise wyues to repaire And in a bed of wortes / stille he lay Til it was passed / vndren of the day Waitynge his tyme / on Chauntecler to falle As gladly doon / thise homycides alle That in awayt liggen / to mordre men O false mordrour / lurkynge in thy den O newe Scariot newe Genylon ffalse dissimilour / o greek Synon That broghtest Troye / al outrely to sorwe O Chauntecler / acursed be that morwe That thow in-to the yerd / flaugh fro the bemys Thow were / ful wel y-warned by thy dremys That thilke day / was perilous to thee But what þat god forwoot moot nedes be After the opynyon of certeyn clerkis Witnesse on hym / þat any parfit clerk is That in scole / is gret altercacion In this matere / and gret disputison And hath ben / of an hundred thousand men But I ne kan / nat bulte it to the bren As kan / the holy doctour Augustyn Or Boece / or the Bisshope Bradwardyn Wheither / þat goddes worthy forewityng Streyneth me nedely / for to doon a thyng/ Nedely clepe I / symple necessitee Or ellis / if fre choys / be graunted me To do that same thyng or do it noght Though god forwoot it/ er þat I was wroght Or if his wityng streyneth neuer a del But by necessitee / condicionel I wol nat han to do / of swich matere My tale is of a Cok as ye may heere That took his conseil / of his wyf/ with sorwe To walken in the yerd / vp-on that morwe That he hadde met the dreem / þat I yow tolde Wommens conseils / be ful ofte colde Wommannes conseil / broghte vs first to wo And made Adam / fro Paradys to go Ther as he was / ful myrie and wel at ese But for I noot to whom it myghte displese If I conseil of wommen / wolde blame Passe ouer / for I seyde it in my game Rede Auctours / where they trete of swich matere And what they seyn of wommen heere Thise ben the Cokkes wordes and nat myne I kan noon harm / on no womman deuyne ¶ ffaire in the Sond / to bathe hire myrily Lyth Pertelote / and alle hire sustres by Agayn the sonne / and Chauntecler so free Song myrier / than the Mermayde in the see ffor Phisiologus / seith sikerly How þat they syngen / wel and myrily ¶ And so bifel / that as he caste his eye Among the wortes / on a Boterflye He was war of this fox / þat lay ful lowe No thyng ne liste hym thanne for to crowe But cryde anon / cok cok and vp he sterte As man / þat was affrayd in his herte ffor naturelly / a beest desireth flee ffro his contrarie / if he may it see Though he neuere erst hadde seye it with his eye This Chauntecler / whan he gan hym espye He wolde han fled / but þat the fox anon Seyde gentil sire / allas wher wol ye gon Be ye affrayd / of me þat am youre freend Now certes / I were worse than a feend If I to yow / wolde harm / or vileynye I am nat come / youre conseil for tespye But trewely / the cause of my comynge Was oonly / for to herkne how þat ye synge ffor trewely / ye han as myrie a steuene As any Angel hath / þat is in heuene Ther with / ye han in Musyk moore feelynge Than hadde Boece / or any þat kan synge My lord youre fader / god his soule blesse And eek youre moder / of hire gentillesse Rats.][Ha]n in myn hous yben / to my gret ese And certes sire / ful fayn wolde I yow plese ¶ But for men speke of syngynge / I wol seye So mote I browke wel / myne eyen tweye Saue ye / I herde neuere man so synge As dide youre fader / in the morwenynge Certes / it was of herte / al that he song And for to make his voys / the moore strong He wolde so peyne hym / þat with bothe hise eyen He moste wynke / so loude he wolde cryen And stonden on his typton / ther with al And strecche forth his nekke / long and smal And eek/ he was of swich discrecion That ther nas no man / in no Region That hym in song / or wisdom myghte passe I haue wel rad / in daun Burnelle the Asse Among hise vers / how þat ther was a cok ffor a preestes sone / yaf hym a knok Vp-on his leg whil he was yong and nyce He made hym / for to lese his benefice But certeyn / ther nys no comparison Bitwix the wisdom / and discrecion Of youre fader / and of his subtiltee Now syngeth sire / for seynte charitee Lat se / konne ye youre fader countrefete ¶ This Chauntecler / hise wynges gan to bete As man þat koude / his trayson nat espie So was he rauysshed / with his flaterie ¶ Allas ye lordes / many a fals flatour Is in youre court and many a losengeour That plesen yow wel moore / by my feyth Than he / þat soothfastnesse vn-to yow seith Redeth Ecclesiaste / of flaterye Beth war ye lordes / of hir trecherye ¶ This Chauntecler / stood hye vp on his toos Strecchynge his nekke / and heeld hise eyen cloos And gan to crowe / lowde for the nones And daun Russelle the fox / stirte vp atones And by the gargat hente Chauntecler And on his bak / toward the wode hym beer ffor yet ne was ther no man / þat hym sewed ¶ O destynee / þat mayst nat ben eschewed Allas þat Chauntecler / fly fro the bemes Allas / his wif/ ne roghte nat of dremes And on a friday / fil al this meschance ¶ O Venus / þat art goddesse of plesance Syn þat thy seruant was this Chauntecler And in thy seruyce / dide al his power Moore for delit than world to multiplie Why woldestow suffre hym / on thy day to dye ¶ O Gaufred / deere maister souerayn That whan / thy worthy kyng Richard was slayn With shot compleynedest his deth so soore Why ne hadde I now / thy sentence and thy loore The friday for to chide / as diden ye ffor on a ffriday / soothly slayn was he Thanne wolde I shewe yow / how þat I kowde pleyne ffor Chaunteclerys drede / and for his peyne ¶ Certes / swich cry / ne lamentacion Was neuere of ladyes maad / whan ylion Was wonne / and Pirrus / with his streite swerd Whanne he hadde hent kyng Priam by the berd And slayn hym / as seith vs Eneydos As maden / alle the hennes in the cloos Whan they hadde seyn / of Chauntecler the sighte But souereynly / dame Pertelote shrighte fful louder / than dide Hasdrubales wyf Whan þat hire housbonde / hadde ylost his lyf And þat the Romayns / hadden brend Cartage She was / so ful of torment and of rage That wilfully / vn-to the fyr she sterte And brende hir seluen / with a stedefast herte ¶ O woful hennes / right so cryden ye As / whan þat Nero / brende the Citee Of Rome / cryden the senatours wyues ffor þat hir housbondes / losten alle hire lyues With-outen gilt this Nero hath hem slayn Now wol I turne / to my tale agayn ¶ The sely widwe / and eek hire doghtres two Herden thise hennes crye / and maken wo Rats.[And] out at dores / stirten they anon Rats.[A]nd seyen the fox / toward the groue gon And bar vp-on his bak/ the cok/ away And criden / out harrow and weilaway Ha / ha. the fox / and after hym they ran And eek with staues / many another man Ran Colle oure dogge / and Talbot and Gerlande And Malkyn / with a distaf in hire hande Ran Cow and calf / and eek the verray hogges So fered / for berkynge of the dogges And showtynge of the men / and wommen eek They ronne so / hem thoughte hire herte breek They yelleden / as fendes doon in helle The dokes cryden / as men wolde hem quelle The gees for feere / flowen ouer the trees Out of the hyue / cam the swarm of bees So hydous was the noyse / a benedicite Certes / he Iakke Straw / and his meynee Ne made neuere showtes / half so shrille Whan þat they wolden / any flemyng kille As thilke day / was maad vp-on the fox Of bras / they broghten bemys / and of box Of horn / of boon / in whiche they blewe and powped And ther with al / they skryked and they howped It semed / as þat heuene sholde falle Now goode men / I prey yow herkneth alle Lo / how ffortune / turneth sodeynly The hope / and pryde eek of hire enemy This cok þat lay vp-on the foxes bak In al his drede / vn-to the fox he spak And seyde sire / if þat I were as ye Yit sholde I seyn / as wys god helpe me Turneth ayein ye proude cherles alle A verray pestilence / vp-on yow falle Now I am come / vn-to this wodes syde Maugree youre heed / the cok shal here abyde I wol hym ete in feith / and that anon ¶ The fox answerde / in feith it shal be don And [as] he spak that word / al sodeynly This cok / brak from his mouth delyuerly And hye vp on a tree / he fley anon ¶ And whan the fox say / þat he was gon Allas quod he / o Chauntecler Allas I haue to yow quod he / ydon trespas In as muche / as I maked yow aferd Whan I yow hente / and broghte in-to this yerd But sire / I dide it in no wikke entente Com doun / and I shal telle yow what I mente I shal seye sooth to yow / god help me so ¶ Nay thanne quod he / I shrewe vs bothe two And first I shrewe my self / bothe blood and bones If thow bigile me / any ofter than ones Thow shalt namoore / thurgh thy flaterye Do me to synge / and wynken with myn eye ffor he þat wynketh / whan he sholde see Al wilfully / god lat hym neuere thee ¶ Nay quod the fox / but god yeue hym meschance That is / so vndiscret/ of gouernance That Iangleth / whan he sholde holde his pees ¶ Lo swich it is / for to be recchelees And necligent and truste on flaterye But ye / þat holden this tale a folye As of a fox / or of a cok and hen Taketh the moralitee / goode men ffor Seint Poul seith / þat al that writen is To oure doctryne / it is ywrite ywis Taketh the fruyt and lat the chaf be stille Now goode god / if þat it be thy wille As seith my lord / so make vs alle goode menDominus Archie|piscopus Cantu|ariensis And brynge vs / to his heye blisse Amen ¶ Here is ended / the Nonnes Preestes tale.[The Manciple's Prologue follows in the MS.] GROUP H. FRAGMENT IX. § 1. THE MANCIPLE'S HEAD-LINK. HENGWRT MS. ¶ And here folweth the Prologe of the Manciples tale/[on leaf 107] Woot ye nat where / ther stant a litel town Which þat cleped is / Bobbe vp and down Vnder the Blee / in Caunterbury weye Ther gan oure hoost for to iape and pleye And seyde sires / what / Don is in the Myre Is ther no man / for preyere ne for Hyre [Rats.Th]at wole awake / oure felawe al bihynde A theef myghte hym / ful lightly robbe and bynde Se how he nappeth / se how for Cokkes bones That he wol falle / from his hors atones Is that a Cook of london / with meschance Do hym come forth / he knoweth his penance ffor he shal telle a tale / by my fey Al thogh / it be nat worth a botel hey Awake thow Cook quod he / god yeue thee sorwe What eyleth thee / to slepe by the morwe Hastow had fleen al nyght or artow dronke Or hastow with som quene / al nyght yswonke So / that thow mayst nat holden vp thyn heed ¶ This Cook/ þat was ful pale / and no thyng rede Seyde to oure hoost/ so god my soule blesse As ther is / falle / on me swich heuynesse Noot I nat why / þat me were leuere slepe Than the beste galon wyn in Chepe ¶ Wel quod the Manciple / if it may don ese To thee sir Cook/ and to no wight displese Which þat here rideth / in this compaignye And þat oure hoost/ wole of his curteisye I wole as now / excuse thee of thy tale ffor in good feith / thy visage is ful pale Thyne eyen daswen eek/ as þat me thynketh And wel I woot thy breth ful soure stynketh That sheweth wel / thow art nat wel disposed Of me certeyn / thow shalt nat ben yglosed Se how he ganeth / lo this dronken wight As though he wolde / swolwe vs anon right Hoold cloos thy mouth / man by thy fader kyn The deuel of helle / sette his foot ther yn Thy cursed breeth / infecte wol vs alle ffy stynkynge swyn / fy / foule mote thee falle A taketh hede sires / of this lusty man Now swete sire / wol ye Iusten atte ffan Ther-to me thynketh / ye ben wel y-shape I trowe / þat ye dronken han wyn Ape And that is / whan men pleyen with a straw And with his speche / the Cook wax wroth & wraw And on the Manciple / bigan he nodde faste ffor lakke of speche / and doun the hors hym caste Wher as he lay / til þat men vp hym took This was / a fair chyuachee of a Cook Allas / he nadde yholde hym / by his ladel And er þat he / agayn were in his sadel Ther was gret showuyng bothe to and fro To lifte hym vp / and muchel care and wo So vnweldy / was this sory palled goost And to the Manciple / thanne spak oure hoost ¶ By cause // drynke hath domynacion Vp on this man / by my sauacion I trowe he lewedly / telle wolde his tale ffor were it wyn / or old / or moisty Ale That he hath dronke / he speketh in his nose And fneseth faste / and eek he hath the pose He hath also to do / moore than ynow To kepen hym / and his capil / out of the Slow And if he falle / from his capil eft soone Than shal we alle / haue ynow to doone In liftynge vp / his heuy dronken cors Telle on thy tale / of hym make I no fors But yet Manciple / in feith thow art to nyce Thus openly / repreue hym of his vice Another day / he wole par Auenture Reclayme thee / and brynge thee to lure I mene / he speke wole / of smale thynges As for to pynchen / at thy rekenynges That were nat honeste / if it cam to preef ¶ No quod the Manciple / that were a gret mescheef So myghte he lightly / brynge me in the snare Yet hadde I leuere / payen for the Mare Which he rit on / than he sholde with me stryue I wol nat wrathe hym / also mote I thryue That þat I spak I seyde it in my bourde And wite what I haue here in a gourde A draughte of wyn / ye of a rype grape And right anon / ye shul seen a good Iape This Cook/ shal drynke ther of if I may Vp peyne of deeth / he wol nat seye me nay [Rats.An]d certeynly / to tellen as it was Of this vessel / the Cook drank faste / allas What neded it he drank ynow biforn And whan he hadde / powped in this horn To the Manciple / he took the gourde agayn And of that drynke / the Cook was wonder fayn And thanked hym / in swich wise as he kowde ¶ Thanne gan oure hoost to laughen wonder lowde And seyde / I se wel it is necessarie Where þat we goon / good drynke we with vs carye ffor that wol turne / rancour and disese Tacord and loue / a[nd] many a wrong Appese ¶ O Bacus / yblessed be thy name That so kanst turnen / ernest in to game Worshipe and thank be to thy deitee Of that matere / ye gete namoore for me Telle on thy [tale] Manciple / I the preye Wel sir quod he / now herkneth what I seye ¶ Here bigynneth the Manciples tale / of the Crowe /[on leaf 108, back] Whan Phebus / dwelled here / in this erthe adoun As olde bokes / maken mencioun He was / the mooste lusty bachiler In al this world / and eek the beste Archer He slow Phiton the serpent as he lay Slepynge agayn the sonne vp on a day And many another / noble worthy dede He with his bowe wroghte / as men may rede Pleyen he koude / on euery Mynstralcye And syngen / þat it was a melodye To heren / of his clere voys / the soun Certes / the kyng of Thebes Amphioun That with his syngyng walled that Citee Koude neuere syngen / half so wel as he Ther-to / he was the semelieste man That is / or was / sith þat the world bigan What nedeth it hise fetures to discryue ffor in this world / was noon so fair on lyue He was ther with / fulfild of gentillesse Of honour / and of parfit worthynesse ¶ This Phebus / þat was flour of Bachelrye As wel / in fredom as in Chiualrye ffor his desport in signe eek of Victorie Of Phiton / so as telleth vs the storie Was wont to beren / in his hand a bowe Now hadde this Phebus / in his hous a Crowe Which in a Cage / he fostred many a day And taughte it speke / as men teche a Iay Whit was this Crowe / as is a Snow whit Swan And contrefete / the speche of euery man He kowde / whan he sholde telle a tale Ther-with in al this world / no nyghtyngale Ne koude / by an hondred thousand deel Syngen / so wonder myrily and weel ¶ Now hadde this Phebus / in his hous a wyf/ Which þat he louede / moore than his lyf And nyght/ and day / dide euere his diligence Hire for to plese / and doon hire reuerence Saue oonly / that the sothe / if I shal sayn Ialous he was / and wolde han kept hire fayn ffor hym were looth / byiaped for to be And so is euery wight in swich degree But al for naught/ for it auaileth noght¶ Verum quid prodest/ diligens custodia cum vxor impudica seruari non possit pudica non debeat/ feda enim custod[ia] est castitatis necessitas / pulcra certe adamatur / feda facile concupiscit. Difficile custoditur quam plures amant. A good wyf/ that is clene in werk and thoght Sholde nat be kept in noon awayt certayn And trewely / the labour is in vayn To kepe a shrewe / for it wol nat be This holde I / for a verray nycetee To spille labour / for to kepe wyues Thus writen olde clerkes in hir lyues ¶ But now to purpos / as I first bigan This worthy Phebus / dooth al that he kan To plesen hire / wenynge for swich plesance And for his manhode / and his gouernance That no man / sholde han put hym from hire grace But god it woot ther may no man embrace As to destreyne a thyng which þat nature Hath naturelly / set in a creature ¶ Take any bryd / and put it in a Cage And do al thyn entente / and thy corage [Rats. To] fostre it tendrely / with mete and drynke Of alle deyntees / þat thow kanst bithynke And kepe it al so clenly as thow may Al though his Cage / of gold / be neuer so gay Yet hath this bryd / by .xx. thousand fold Leuere in a fforest þat is rude and cold Gon ete wormes / and swich wrecchednesse ffor euere this bryd / wol doon his bisynesse To eschape out of his Cage / if he may His libertee / this bryd desireth ay ¶ Lat take a Cat and fostre hym wel with Milk And tendre flessh / and make his couche of silk And lat hym seen a Mous / go by the wal Anon he weyueth / Milk / and flessh and al And euery deyntee / þat is in that hous Swich appetit hath he / to ete a Mous Lo / heere hath lust his domynacion And appetit flemeth discrecion ¶ A she wolf hath also / a vileyns kynde The lewedeste wolf / þat she may fynde And leest of reputacion / that wol she take In tyme / whan hire lust to han a make ¶ Alle thise ensamples / speke I by thise men That ben vntrewe / but no thyng by wommen ffor men han euere / a likerous appetit On lower thyng / to parformen hir delit Than on hire wyues / be they neuer so faire Ne neuer so trewe / ne so debonaire fflessh is so newfangel / with meschance That we ne konne / in no thyng han plesance That sowneth in to vertu / any while ¶ This Phebus / which þat thoughte vp on no gile Deceyued was / for al his iolitee ffor vnder hym / another hadde she A man / of litel reputacion Nat worth to Phebus in comparison The moore harm is / it happeth ofte so Of which ther cometh / muchel harm and wo And so bifel / whan Phebus was absent His wyf anon / hath for hire lemman sent Hir lemman / certes this a knauyssh speche fforyeueth it me / and that I yow biseche The wise Plato seith / as ye may rede The word moot nede / acorde with the dede If men shal telle / proprely a thyng The word / moot cosyn be to the werkyng I am a boystous man / right thus seye I Ther nys no difference / trewely Bitwix a wyf/ þat is of heigh degree If of hire body / deshoneste she be And a poore wenche / oother than this If it so be / they werke bothe amys But þat the gentile / in estat aboue She shal be clepid his lady / as in loue And for that oother / is a poore womman She shal be clepid / his wenche / or his lemman And god it woot/ myn owene deere brother Men leyn þat oon / as lowe as lyth that oother ¶ Right so / bitwix a titleleessine titulo tirant And an Outlawe / or a theef errant The same I seye / ther is no difference To Alisandre / was told this sentence That for the tirant / is of gretter myght By force of meyne / for to sleen doun right And brennen hous and hoom / and make al playn Lo / ther fore / is he clepid a Capitayn And for the Outlawe / hath but smal meynee And may nat doon / so gret an harm as he Ne brynge a contree / to so gret meschief Men clepen hym / an Outlawe or a theef/ But for I am a man / noght textuel I wol noght telle of textes / neuer a del I wol go to my tale / as I bigan ¶ Whan Phebus wyf/ hadde sent for hire lemman Anon they wroghte / al hire lust volage The white Crowe / þat heng ay in the Cage Biheld hir werk/ and seyde neuer a word And whan that hoom was come / Phebus the lord This Crowe sang Cokkow / Cokkow Cokkow ¶ What bryd quod Phebus / what song syngestow [Rats.N]e were thow wont so myrily to synge That to myn herte / it was a reioysynge To here thy voys / allas what song is this ¶ By god quod he / I synge nat amys Phebus quod he / for al thy worthynesse ffor al thy beautee / and thy gentillesse ffor al thy song and al thy Mynstralcye ffor al thy waityng blered is thyn eye With oon / of litel reputacion Nat worth to thee / in comparison The montance of a gnat so mote I thryue ffor in thy bed / thy wif I sey hym &cetera What wol ye moore / the Crowe anon hym tolde By sadde toknes / and by wordes bolde How þat his wyf / hadde doon hire lecherye Hym to gret shame / and to gret vileynye And tolde hym / ofte he say it with hise eyen ¶ This Phebus / gan aweyward for to wryen And thoughte / his sorweful herte brast atwo His bowe he bente / and sette ther-Inne a flo And in his Ire / his wyf thanne hath he slayn This is theffect/ ther nys namoore to sayn ffor sorwe of which / he brak his Mynstralcye Bothe harpe / and Lute / and Gyterne / and Sawtrye And eek he brak/ his arwes / and his bowe And after that/ thus spak he to the Crowe ¶ Traytour quod he / with tonge of Scorpion Thow hast me broght to my confusion Allas þat I was wroght why nere I ded O deere wyf/ O gemme of lustihed That were to me / so sad / and eek so trewe Now lystow ded / with face pale of hewe fful giltlees / that dorste I swere ywys O rakel hand / to doon so foule amys O trouble wit/ o Ire recchelees That vnauysed / smytest giltlees O wantrust ful of fals suspecion Where was thy wit and thy discrecion O euery man / be war of rakelnesse Ne trowe ye no thyng with outen strong witnesse Smyt nat to soone / er þat ye witen why And beth auysed / wel and sobrely Er ye do / any execucion Vp on youre Ire / for suspecion ¶ Allas / a thousand folk/ hath rakel Ire ffully fordoon / or broght hem in the Myre Allas / for sorwe / I wol my seluen sle ¶ And to the Crowe / o false theef seyde he I wol thee quyte anon / thy false tale Thow songe whilom / lyk a nyghtyngale Now shaltow false theef/ thy song forgon And eek thy white fetheres euerichon Ne neuere in al thy lyf/ ne shaltow speke Thus shal men / on a traytour ben awreke Thow and thyn offspryng euere shul be blake Ne neuere / swete noyse shul ye make But euere crye / agayn tempest and rayn In tokenynge / þat thurgh thee my wyf is slayn And to the Crowe he stirte / and that anon And pulled / hise white fetheres euerichon And made hym blak and refte hym al his song And eek his speche / and out at dore hym slong Vn to the deuel / which I hym bitake And for this cas / ben alle Crowes blake ¶ Lordynges / by this ensample / I yow preye Beth war / and taketh kepe what I seye Ne telleth neuere / no man in youre lyf How þat another man / hath dight his wyf He wol yow haten / mortally certeyn ¶ Daun Salomon / as wise clerkes seyn Techeth a man / to kepen his tonge wel But as I seyde / I nam nat textuel But nathelecs / thus taughte me my Dame My sone / thenk on the Crowe a goddes name My sone / keep wel thy tonge / and kepe thy freend A wikke tonge / is worse than a feend My sone / from a feend / men may hem blesse My sone / god / of his endelees goodnesse Walled a tonge / with teeth / and lippes eke ffor man sholde hym auyse / what he speeke [Rats.My s]one / ful ofte / for to muche speche [Rats.H]ath many a man ben spilt as clerkes teche But for litel speche / auysely Is no man shent to speke generally My sone / thy tonge / sholdestow restreyne At alle tymes / but whan thow doost thy peyne To speke of god / in honour and prayere The firste vertu sone / if thow wolt leere Is to restreyne / and kepe wel thy tonge Thus lernen children / whan þat they ben yonge My sone / of muchel spekyng yuele auysed Ther lasse spekyng hadde ynow suffised Comth muchel harm / thus was me told & taught In muchel speche / synne wanteth naught Wostow wher of/ a rakel tonge serueth Right as a swerd / forkitteth and forkerueth An arm atwo / my deere sone right so A tonge / kitteth frendship al atwo A Ianglere / is to god abhomynable Rede Salomon / so wys and honurable Rede Dauid in his psalmes / rede Senekke My sone / spek noght but with thyn hed thow bekke Dissimule as thow were deef/ if þat thow heere A Ianglere speke / of perilous matere ¶ The flemyng seith / and lerne it if thee leste That litel Ianglyng causeth muchel reste My sone / if thow / no wikked word hast seyd Thee thar nat drede / for to be biwreyd But he þat hath mysseyd / I dar wel sayn He may by no wey / clepe his word agayn Thyng that is sayd / is seyd / and forth it gooth Though hym repente / or be hym leef or looth He is his thral / to whom þat he hath sayd A tale / of which he is now yuele apayd My sone be war / and be noon Auctour newe Of tidynges / wher they ben false / or trewe Wher so thow come / amonges heye / or lowe Kepe wel thy tonge / and thynk vp on the Crowe ¶ Here is ended /the Manciples tale / of the Crowe. GROUP B. (α. FRAGMENT II.) § 1. MAN OF LAW'S HEAD-LINK. HENGWRT MS. The prohemie of the Mannes tale of Lawe. Ovre hoost saw wel / that the brighte sonne The ark of his artificial day hath ronne The ferthe part and half an hour and moore And thogh he were nat depe ystert in loore He wiste / it was the xviijthe. day Of April / that is messager to May And saw wel / þat the shadwe of euery tree Was as in lengthe / the same quantitee That was the body erect that caused it And therfore by the shadwe / he took his wit That Phebus / which þat shoon so cleer and brighte Degrees was .xlv. clombe on highte And for that day / as in that latitude It was ten at the Clokke / he gan conclude And sodeynly / he plighte his hors aboute ¶ Lordynges quod he / I warne yow al this route The ferthe party / of this day is goon Now for the loue of god / and of Seint Iohn Leseth no tyme / as ferforth as ye may Lordynges the tyme / it wasteth nyght and day And steleth from vs / what pryuely slepynge And what thurgh necligence / in oure wakynge As dooth the streem / þat turneth neuere agayn Descendynge / fro the montaigne in to playn Wel kan Senec and many a Philosophre Biwaillen tyme / moore than gold in cofre ffor los of catel / may recouered be But los of tyme / shendeth vs quod he It wol nat come agayn / with outen drede Namoore / than wol Malkyns maydenhede Whan she hath lost it / in hir wantownesse Lat vs nat mowlen thus in ydelnesse ¶ Sire man of lawe quod he / so haue ye blys Tel vs a tale anon / as forward is Ye been submitted thurgh youre free assent To stonden in this cas / at my Iuggement [A]quiteth yow now / of youre biheste Thanne haue ye doon youre deuoir atte leeste ¶ Hoost quod he depardieux ich assente To breken forward / is nat myn entente Biheste is dette / and I wol holde fayn Al my biheste / I kan no bettre sayn ffor swich lawe / as a man yeueth another wight/ He sholde hym self / vsen it by right Thus wol oure text / but nathelees certein I kan right now / no thrifty tale seyn That Chaucer / thogh he kan but lewedly On metres / and on rymyng craftily Hath seyd hem / in swich englissh as he kan Of olde tyme / as knoweth many a man And if he ne haue nat seyd hem / leeue brother In o book he hath seyd hem in another ffor he hath toold / of louers vp and doun Mo than Ouide / made of mencioun In his epistles / þat been ful olde What sholde I tellen hem / syn they been tolde In yowthe he made / of Ceys and Alcione And sithen / hath he spoke of euerychone Thise noble wyues / and thise loueres eke Who so þat wole / his large volum seke Clepyd / the Seintes legende of Cupide Ther maystow seen /. the large woundes wyde Of Lucresse / and of Babilan Tisbee The swerd of Dido / for the false Enee The tree of Phillis / for hir Demophon The pleinte of Dianire / and of hermyon Of Adriane / and of ysiphilee The barayne Ile / stondynge in the See The dreynte leandre / for his Erro The terys of Eleyne / and eke the wo Of Brixseyde / and of the Ladomea The crueltee / of the queene Medea The litel children / hangyng by the hals ffor thy Iason / that was of loue so fals O Ypermystra / Penolopee / Alceste Youre wifhod / he comendeth with the beste But certeinly / no word ne writeth he Of thilke wikke ensample / of Canacee That loued / hir owene brother synfully Of swiche cursed stories / I sey fy Or ellis / of Tyro Appollonius How þat / the cursed kyng Antiochus Birafte his doghter / of hir maydenhede That is / so horrible a tale for to rede When he hir threw / vp on the pauement And ther fore / he of ful auisement Nolde neuere write / in noon of his sermons Of swiche / vnkynde abhominacions Ne I wol noon reherce / if þat I may But of my tale / how shal I doon this day Me were looth / be likned doutelees To Muses / þat been clepyd Pierides Methamorphosios / woot what I mene But nathelees / I recche noght a bene Thogh I come after hym / with hawe bake I speke in prose / and lat hym rymes make And with that word / he with a sobre cheere Bigan his tale / as ye shal after heere[No break in the MS.] ¶ Here bigynneth the tale. [THE PROLOGUE.] O hateful harm / condicion of pouerte With thurst with cold / with hunger so confoundid To axen help / thee shameth in thyn herte If thou noon axe / with nede artow so woundid That verray nede / vnwrappeth al thy wounde hid Maugree thyn heed / thou most for Indigence Or stele / or begge / or borwe thy despence Thow blamest Crist and seist ful bitterly He mysdeparteth / richesse temporal Thy neghebore / thow witest synfully And seist thow hast to lite / and he hath al Parfay seistow / som tyme he rekne shal Whan þat his tayl / shal brennen in the gleede ffor he noght helpeth / nedefulle in hir nede [Rats.He]rke / what is the sentence of the wise Bet is to dyen / than haue Indigence Thy selue neghebor / wol thee despise If thow be pouere / fare wel thy reuerence Yet of the wise man / tak this sentence Alle the dayes / of pouere men been wikke Be war ther fore / er thow come to that prikke ¶ If thou be pouere / thy brother hateth thee And alle thy freendes / fleen from thee allas O riche Marchauntz / ful of wele been ye O noble / O prudent folk / as in this cas Youre bagges / been noght filled with ambes as But with sys cynk. that renneth for youre chaunce At Cristemasse / murye may ye daunce Ye seken lond and see / for youre wynnynges As wise folk ye knowen al thestat Of regnes / ye been fadres of tidynges And tales / bothe of pees and of debat I were right now / of tales desolat Nere þat a Marchaunt / goon is many a yere Me taughte a tale / which þat ye shal heere [THE TALE.] ¶ In Surrye whilom / dwelte a compaignye Of chapmen riche / and ther-to sadde and trewe That wyde where / senten hir spicerye Clothes of gold / and Satyns riche of hewe Hir cheffare / was so thrifty and so newe That euery wight hath deyntee to cheffare With hem / and eek to sellen hem hir ware ¶ Now fil it / that the maistres of that sort Han shapen hem / to Rome for to wende Were it for chaphod / or for desport Noon oother message / wolde they thider sende But coomen hem self to Rome / this is the ende And in swich place / as thoughte hem auauntage ffor hir entente / they take hir herbergage ¶ Soiourned han thise Marchauntz / in that town A certein tyme / as fil to hir plesaunce But so bifel / þat the excellent renoun Of the Emperours doghter / dame Custaunce Reported was / with euery circumstaunce Vn to thise Surryen Marchauntz / in swich wise ffro day / to day / as I shal yow deuyse ¶ This was the commune voys / of euery man Oure Emperour of Rome / god hym se A doghter hath / þat syn the world bigan To rekne as wel / hir goodnesse as beautee Nas neuere swich another / as is she I pray to god / in honour hir sustene And wolde she were / of al Europe the queene¶ Europa est tercia pars mundi. ¶ In hire is heigh beautee / with oute pryde Youthe / with outen grenehede / or folye To alle hir werkes / vertu is hir gyde Humblesse / hath slayn in hire al tirannye She is Mirour / of al curteisye Hir herte / is verray chambre of holynesse Hir hand Ministre / of fredam / for almesse ¶ And al this voys was sooth / as god is trewe But now to purpos / lat vs come agayn Thise Marchauntz / han doon fraught hir shippes newe And whan they han / this blisful mayden sayn Hom to Surrye / been they went ful fayn And doon hir nedes / as they han doon yoore And lyuen in wele / I kan sey yow namoore ¶ Now fil it that thise Marchauntz stode in grace Of hym / that was the Sowdan of Surrye ffor whan they coome / from any straunge place He wolde / of his benygne curteisye Maken hem good cheere / and bisily espye Tidynges / of sondry regnes for to leere The wondres / that they myghte seen or heere ¶ [Am]onges othere thynges specially Thise Marchauntz han hym told / of dame Custaunce So greet noblesse / in ernest ceriously.i. ceriose That this Sowdan / hath caught so greet plesaunce To han hir figure / in his remembraunce That al his lust / and al his bisy cure Was for to loue hire / whil his lyf may dure ¶ Parauenture / in thilke large book Which þat men clepe the heuene / ywriten was With sterres / whan þat he his birthe took/ That he for loue / sholde han his deth allas ffor in the sterres / clerer than is glas Is writen god woot who so koude it rede The deeth of euery man / with outen drede ¶ In sterres / many a wynter / ther biforn Ceptra phoronei / fratrum discordia Thebe fflammam Phetontis Decalionis aque In stellis Priami species audacia Turni Sensus vlixeus / herculeusque vigor. Was writen the deeth / of Ector / Achilles Of Pompei / Iulius / er they were born The stryf of Thebes / and of Hercules Of Sampson / Turnus / and of Socrates The deeth / but mennes wittes been so dulle That no wight kan wel rede it atte fulle ¶ This Sowdan / for his priuee conseil sente And shortly / of this matere for to pace He hath to hem / declared his entente And seyde hem certein / but he myghte haue grace To han Custaunce / with Inne a litel space He nas but deed / and charged hem in hye To shapen / for his lyf som remedye ¶ Diuerse men / diuerse thynges seyden They argumenten / casten vp and doun Many a subtil reson / forth they leyden They speken of Magyk / and Abusioun But finally / as in conclusioun They kan nat seen / in that noon Auauntage Ne in noon oother wey / saue mariage ¶ Thanne sawe they ther Inne / swich difficultee By wey of reson / for to speke al playn By cause / þat ther was swich diuersitee Bitwene hir bothe lawes / þat they sayn They trowe / þat no cristen Prince wolde fayn Wedden his child / vnder oure lawes swete That vs was taught by Mahoun oure prophete ¶ And he answerde / rather than I lese Custaunce / I wol be cristned doutelees I moot ben hires / I may noon oother chese I pray yow / hold youre argumentz in pees Saueth my lyf / and beth noght recchelees To geten hire / þat hath my lyf in cure ffor in this wo / I may nat longe endure ¶ What nedeth / gretter dilatacion I seye / by tretys / and embassadrye And by the Popes[Inkt out in the MS, and byshop written over it.] mediacion And al the chirche / and al the chiualrie That in destruccion of Mawmetrie And in encrees / of Cristes lawe deere They been acorded / so as ye shal heere ¶ How þat the Sowdan / and his Baronage And alle his liges / sholde ycristned be And he shal han / Custaunce in mariage And certeyn gold / I noot what quantitee And heer to / founden sufficient seuretee This same acord / was sworn on either syde Now faire Custaunce / al myghty god thee gyde ¶ Now wolde som men / waiten as I gesse That I sholde tellen / al the purueiaunce That Themperour / of his grete noblesse Hath shapen for his doghter / dame Custaunce Wel may men knowen / þat so greet ordinaunce May no man tellen / in a litel clause As was arrayed / for so heigh a cause [Bis]shopes been shapen / with hire for to wende Lordes / ladies / knyghtes of renoun And oother folk ynowe / this is thende And notified is / thurgh out the town That euery wight with greet deuocioun Sholde preyen crist þat he this mariage Receyue in gree / and spede this viage ¶ The day is comen / of hir departynge I seye / the woful day fatal / is come That ther may be / no lenger taryynge But forthward they hem dresse / alle and some Custaunce / that was with sorwe all ouercome fful pale arist and dresseth hire to wende ffor wel she seeth / ther nys noon oother ende ¶ Allas / what wonder is it/ thogh she wepte That shal be sent to straunge nacion ffro freendes / þat so tendrely hir kepte And to be bounden / vndur subieccion Of oon / she knoweth noght his condicion Housbondes been alle goode / and han been yoore That knowen wyues / I dar sey yow namoore ¶ ffader she seyde / thy wrecched child Custaunce Thy yonge doghter / fostred vp so softe And ye my moder / my souereyn plesaunce Ouer alle thyng / outtaken crist on lofte Custaunce youre child / hir recomaundeth ofte Vn to your grace / for I shal to Surrye Ne shal I neuere / seen yow moore with eye ¶ Allas / vn to the Barbre nacion I moste anon / syn þat it is youre wille But crist that starf for oure redempcion So yeue me grace / hise hestes to fulfille I wrecche womman / no fors thogh I spille Wommen are born / to thraldom and penaunce And to been / vnder mannes gouernaunce ¶ I trowe at Troye / whan Pirrus brak the wal Or Ylion / brent hadde Thebes the Citee Nat Rome / for the harm thurgh Hanybal That Romayns / hath venquysshed tymes thre Nas herd / swich tendre wepyng for pitee As in the chambre was / for hir departynge But forth she moot wher so she wepe or synge ¶ O firste moeuer / cruel firmament¶ Vnde Ptholomeus libro .io. capitulum g[. . primi] motus celi duo sunt / quorum vnus est qui [movet totum] celum / semper ab Oriente in Occidentem vno [modo] super orbes &c / Ita aliter vero motus est qui mo[vet] orbem stellarum currencium / contra motum primum videlicet ab Occidente in Orientem super alios duos polos &c. [The MS is partly gnawn away by rats.] With thy diurnal sweigh / þat crowdest ay And hurlest al / fro Est / til Occident That naturelly / wolde holde another way Thy crowdyng / set the heuene in swich array At bigynnyng of this fiers viage That cruel Mars / hath slayn this mariage ¶ Infortunat ascendent tortuous Of which the lord / is helplees falle allas Out of his angle / in to the derkest hous O. Mars / o. Atazir / as in this cas O fieble Moone / vnhappy been thy pas Thow knyttest thee / ther thow nart nat receyued Ther thow were wel / fro thennes artow weyued ¶ Inprudent Emperour of Rome / allas¶ Omnes concordati sunt/ quod elecciones sint/ de|biles nisi in diuitibus / habent enim isti licet debilitentur eorum elecciones radicem .i. natiuitates eorum que confortat omnem / planetam / debilem in itinere &c. Was ther no Philosophre / in al thy town Is no tyme bet than oother / in swich cas Of viage / is ther noon eleccioun Namely / to folk of heigh condicioun Nat whan a roote / is of a burthe yknowe Allas / we been / to lewed or to slowe ¶ To shipe is broght this woful faire mayde Solempnely / with euery circumstaunce Now Ihesu crist be with yow alle / she seyde Ther nys namoore / but fare wel faire Custaunce She peyneth hire / to make good contenaunce And forth I lete hir Sayle / in this manere And turne I wole / agayn to my matere ¶ [T]he moder of the Sowdan / welle of vices Espied hath / hir sones pleyn entente How he wol lete / his olde sacrifices And right anon / she for hir conseil sente And they ben come / to knowen what she mente And whan assembled was / this folk in feere She sette hir down / and seyde as ye shal heere ¶ Lordes quod she / ye knowen euerychon How þat my sone / in point is for to lete The holy lawes / of oure Alkaron Yeuen by goddes message[a late curl for er is over the g.] Makomete But oon avow / to grete god I hete The lyf shal rather / out of my body sterte Than Makometes lawe / out of myn herte ¶ What sholde vs tiden / of this newe lawe But thraldom to oure bodies / and penaunce And afterward / in helle to be drawe ffor we reneyed / Mahoun oure creaunce But lordes / wol ye maken assuraunce As I shal seyn / assentyng to my loore And I shal make vs sauf / for euere moore ¶ They sworen / and assenten euery man To lyue with hire and dye / and by hir stonde And euerich / in the beste wise he kan To strengthen hire / shal alle hise freendes fonde And she hath / this emprise ytake on honde Which ye shal heren / þat I shal deuyse And to hem alle / she spak right in this wise ¶ We shul first feyne vs / cristendom to take Coold water / shal nat greue vs but a lite And I shal / swich a feste / and reuel make That as I trowe / I shal the Sowdan quyte ffor thogh his wyf / be cristned neuer so whyte She shal haue nede / to wasshe awey the rede Thogh she / a font ful water with hir lede ¶ O Sowdanesse roote of Iniquitee Virago / thow Semyrame the secounde O Serpent/ vnder femynynytee Lyk to the Serpent/ depe in helle ybounde O feyned womman / al that may confounde Vertu and Innocence / thurgh thy malice Is bred in thee / as nest of euery vice ¶ O Sathan enuyous / syn thilke day That thow were chaced / from oure heritage Wel knowestow to wommen / the olde way Thow madest Eua / brynge vs in seruage Thow wolt fordoon / this cristen mariage Thyn Instrument so weylawey the while Makestow of wommen / whan thou wolt bigile ¶ This Sowdanesse / whom I thus blame and warye Leet pryuely hir conseil / goon his way What sholde I in this tale / lenger tarye She rideth to the Sowdan / on a day And seyde hym / þat she wolde reneye hir lay And cristendom / of preestes handes fonge Repentynge hire / she hethen was so longe ¶ Bisekyng hym / to doon hire that honour That she moste han / the cristen folk to feste To plesen hem / I shall do my labour The Sowdan seith / I wol doon at youre heste And knelynge / thanketh hire of that requeste So glad he was / he nyste what to seye She kiste hir sone / and hom she gooth hir weye [PART II.] ¶ Arryued been this cristen folk to londe In Surrye / with a gret solempne route And hastily / this Sowdan sente his sonde ffirst to his moder / and al the regne aboute And seyde his wyf / was comen out of doute And preyde hire / for to ryde agayn the queene The honour / of his regne to sustene ¶ Greet was the prees / and riche was tharray Of Surryens / and Romayns met yfeere The moder of the Sowdan / riche and gay Receyueth hire / with also glad a cheere As any moder / myghte hir doghter deere And to the nexte Citee / ther bisyde A softe paas / solempnely they ryde ¶ Naught trowe I / the triumphe of Iulius Of which þat lucan / maketh swich a boost Was roiallour / ne moore curyus Than was the assemblee / of this blisful oost But this scorpion / this wikked goost The Sowdanesse / for al hir flaterynge Caste vnder this / ful mortally to stynge ¶ The Sowdan cometh hym self / soone after this So roially / þat wonder is to telle He welcometh hire / with alle ioye and blys And thus in myrthe and Ioye / I lete hem dwelle The fruyt of this matere / is þat I telle Whan tyme cam / men thoughte it for the beste That reuel stynte / and men go to hir reste ¶ The tyme cam / this olde Sowdanesse Ordeyned hath this feste / of which I tolde And to the feste / cristen folk hem dresse In general / ye bothe yonge and olde Heer may men feste / and roialtee biholde And deyntees mo / than I kan yow deuyse But al to deere / they boghte it er they ryse ¶ O sodeyn wo / that euere art Successour¶ nota de inopinato dolore ¶ Semper mundane leticie / tristicia repentina succedit / Mundana igitur felicitas multis ama|ritudinibus est respersa extrema gaudij luctus occupat / Audi ergo salubre consilium in die bonorum ne inmemor sis malorum. To worldly blisse / spreynd with bitternesse The ende of the ioye / of oure worldly labour Wo ocupieth / the fyn of oure gladnesse Herke this conseil / for thy sikernesse Vp on thy glade day / haue in thy mynde The vnwar wo / or harm / þat comth bihynde ¶ ffor shortly / for to tellen / at a word The Sowdan / and the cristen euerychone Been al to-hewe / and stiked at the bord But it were oonly / dame Custaunce allone This olde sowdanesse / cursed krone Hath with hir freendes / doon this cursed dede ffor she hir self / wolde al the contree lede ¶ Ne ther nas Surryen noon / þat was conuerted That of the conseil / of the Sowdan woot That he nas al tohewe / er he asterted And Custaunce / han they take anon foot hoot And in a ship / al sterelees / god woot They han hir set and bidde hir lerne Sayle Out of Surrye / agaynward to Itaille ¶ A certein tresor / that she thider ladde And sooth to seyn / vitaille gret plentee They han hir yeuen / and clothes eek she hadde And forth she sayleth / in the salte see O my Custaunce / ful of benygnytee O Emperours / yonge doghter deere He þat is lord of ffortune be thy steere ¶ She blisseth hire / and with ful pitous voys Vn to the cros of Crist/ thus seyde she O clere / o weleful Auter / holy croys Reed of the lambes blood / ful of pitee That wesshe the world / fro the olde Iniquitee Me fro the feend / and fro his clawes kepe That day / þat I shal drenchen in the depe ¶ Victorious tree / proteccion of trewe That oonly / worthy were for to bere The kyng of heuene / with his woundes newe The white lamb / that hurt was with a spere fflemere of feendes / out of hym and here On which thy lymes / feithfully extenden Me kepe / and yeue me myght my lyf tamenden [Ye]res and dayes / fleet this creature Thurgh out the see of Grece / vn to the Strayte Of Marrok as it was hir auenture O many a sory meel / now may she bayte After hir deth / ful often may she wayte Er þat the wilde wawes / wol hir dryue Vn to the place / ther she shal arryue Men myghten axen / why she was noght slayn Eek at the feste / who myghte hir body saue And I answere / to that demaunde agayn Who saued Danyel / in the horrible Caue Ther euery wight saue he / maister and knaue Was with the leon frete / er he asterte No wight but god / þat he bar in his herte ¶ God liste to shewe / his wonderful miracle In hire / for we sholde seen / his myghty werkes Crist/ which þat is / to euery harm triacle By certein menes ofte / as knowen clerkes Dooth thyng for certein ende / þat ful derk is To mannes wit þat for oure ignoraunce Ne konne noght knowe / his prudent purueiaunce ¶ Now sith she was nat / at the feste yslawe Who kepte hire / fro the drenchyng in the see Who kepte Ionas / in the fisshes mawe Til he / was spowted vp at Nynyuee Wel may men knowe / it was no wight but hee That kepte peple Ebrayk / from hir drenchyng With drye feet thurgh out the see passyng ¶ Who bad / the foure Spiritz of tempest That power han / tanoyen lond and See Bothe North and South / and also west and Est Anoyeth neither / See / ne land / ne tree Soothly / the comaundour of that was hee That fro the tempest ay this womman kepte As wel / whan she wook as whan she slepte ¶ Wher myghte this womman / mete and drynke haue Thre yeer and moore / how lasteth hir vitaille Who fedde the Egipcien Marie / in the Caue Or in desert / no wight but crist sanz faille ffyue thousand folk / it was as greet meruaille With loues fyue / and fisshes two to fede God sente his foyson / at hir grete nede ¶ She dryueth forth / in to oure Occian Thurgh out the wilde see / til at the laste Vnder an hoold / þat nempnen I ne kan ffer in Northumberland / the wawe hir caste And in the sond / hir shipe stiked so faste That thennes wolde it noght of al a tyde The wyl of crist was þat she sholde abyde ¶ The Constable of the Castel / down is fare To seen this wrak and al the shipe he soghte And foond this wery womman ful of care He foond also / the tresor þat she broghte In hir langage / mercy she bisoghte The lyf / out of hir body for to twynne Hir to deliuere / of wo that she was Inne ¶ A manere latyn corrupt was hir speche But algates / ther by was she vnderstonde The Constable / whan hym liste no lenger seche This woful womman / broghte he to the londe She kneleth doun / and thanketh goddes sonde But what she was / she wolde no man seye ffor foul ne fair / thogh þat she sholde deye ¶ She seyde / she was so mazed in the See That she forgat hir mynde / by hir trouthe The Constable / hath of hire so greet pitee And eek his wyf / that they wepten for routhe She was so diligent with outen slouthe To serue and plese / euerich in that place That alle hir louen / that looken on hir face This Constable / and dame Hermengyld his wyf Were payens / and that contree euery where But hermengyld / loued hire right as hir lyf And Custaunce / hath so longe soiourned there In orisons / with many a bitter teere Til Ihesu / hath conuerted thurgh his grace Dame hermengyld / Constablesse of thilke place ¶ In al that land / no cristen dorste route Alle cristen folk / been fled fro that contree Thurgh Payens / þat conquereden al aboute The plages of the North / by land and see To Walys / fledde the cristianytee Of olde Britons / dwellyng in this Ile Ther was hir refut for the mene while ¶ But yet nere cristen Britons / so exiled That ther nere somme / þat in hir pryuetee Honoured crist and hethen folk bigiled And neigh the Castel / swiche ther dwelten thre That oon of hem / was blynd and myghte nat se But it were / with thilke eyen of his mynde With whiche men seen / after þat they been blynde ¶ Bright was the sonne / as in that Someres day ffor which the Constable / and his wyf also And Custaunce / han ytake the righte way Toward the see / a furlong wey / or two To pleyen / and to romen to and fro And in hir walk this blynde man they mette Croked and old / with eyen faste yshette ¶ In name of Crist cryde this blynde Britoun Dame Hermengyld / yif me my sighte agayn This lady / weex affrayed of the sown Lest þat hir housbonde / shortly for to sayn Wolde hire / for Ihesu cristes loue han slayn Til Custaunce made hir boold / and bad hir wirche The wyl of Crist as doghter of his chirche ¶ The Constable / weex abasshed of that sight And seide / What amounteth al this fare Custaunce answerde / sire it is Cristes myght That helpeth folk / out of the feendes snare And so ferforth / she gan oure lay declare That she the Constable / er þat it was eue Conuerteth / and on Crist made hym bileue ¶ This Constable / was no thyng lord of this place Of which I speek ther he Custaunce fond But kepte it strongly / many wynter space Vnder Alla / kyng of al Northumberlond That was ful wys / and worthy of his hond Agayn the Scottes / as men may wel heere But turne I wole / agayn to my matere ¶ Sathan / þat euere vs waiteth to bigile Saugh of Custaunce / al hir perfeccion And caste anon / how he myghte quite hir while And made a yong knyght þat dwelte in that town Loue hire hote / of foul affeccioun That verraily / hym thoughte he sholde spille But he of hire / myghte ones haue his wille ¶ He woweth hire / but it auailleth noght She wolde do no synne / by no weye And for despit he compassed in his thoght To maken hire / on shameful deeth to deye He wayteth / whan the Constable was aweye And priuely / vp on a nyght he crepte In Hermengildes chambre / whil she slepte ¶ Wery for-waked / in hir orisons Slepeth Custaunce / and hermengild also This knyght thurgh Sathans temptacions Al softely / is to the bed ygo And kitte the throte / of Hermengild atwo And leyde the blody knyf / by dame Custaunce And wente his wey / ther god yeue hym meschaunce [So]one after / cometh this Constable hom agayn And eek Alla / that kyng was of that lond And saw his wyf / despitously yslayn ffor which ful ofte / he weepe and wrong his hond And in the bed / the blody knyf he fond By dame Custaunce / allas what myghte she seye ffor verray wo / hir wit was al aweye ¶ To kyng Alla / was told al this meschaunce And eek the tyme / and where / and in what wise That in a shipe / was founde this Custaunce As her biforn / þat ye han herd deuyse The kynges herte / of pitee gan agryse Whan he saw / so benygne a creature ffalle in disese / and in mysauenture ¶ ffor as the lomb / toward his deeth is broght So stant this Innocent bifore the kyng This false knyght þat hath this treson wroght Bereth hire on hond / þat she hath doon this thyng But nathelees / ther was greet moornyng Among the peple / and seyn they kan nat gesse That she had doon / so greet a wikkednesse ¶ ffor they han seyn hire / euere so vertuous And louyng Hermengild / right as hir lyf Of this baar witnesse / euerich in that hous Saue he þat Hermengild / slow with his knyf This gentil kyng hath caught a gret motyf Of this witnesse / and thoghte he wolde enquere Depper in this / a trouthe for to lere ¶ Allas Custaunce / thow nast no champion Ne fighte kanstow noght so weilawey But he þat starf / for oure redempcion And bond Sathan / and yet lyth ther he lay So be thy stronge champion this day ffor but if Crist / open miracle kythe With outen gilt thow shalt been slayn as swythe ¶ She sette hir down on knees / and thus she sayde Immortal god / that sauedest Susanne ffro fals blame / and thow merciful mayde Marie I mene / doghter to Seint Anne Biforn whos child / Aungels synge Osanne If I be giltlees / of this felonye My socour be / for ellis shal I dye ¶ Haue ye nat seyn som tyme / a pale face Among a prees / of hym þat hath be lad Toward his deeth / wher as hym gat no grace And swich a colour / in his face hath had Men myghte knowe his face / þat was bistad Amonges alle the faces / in that route So stant Custance / and looketh hire aboute ¶ O Queenes / lyuynge in prosperitee Duchesses / and ye ladies euerichon Haueth som reuthe / on hir aduersitee An Emperours doghter / stant allone She hath no wight / to whom to make hir mone O blood roial / that stondest in this drede ffer be thy freendes / at thy grete nede ¶ This Alla kyng hath swich compassioun As gentil herte / is fulfild of pitee That from his eyen / ran the water doun Now hastily / do fecche a book / quod he And if this knyght. wol sweren how þat she This womman slow / yet wol we vs auyse Whom þat we wole / that shal been oure Iustise A Briton book writen with Euaungiles Was fet and on this book he swoor anon She gilty was / and in the mene whiles An hand hym smoot vp on the nekke bon That doun he fel / atones / as a stoon And bothe hise eyen / broste out of his face In sighte / of euery body in that place [A vo]ys was herd / in general audience And seyde / thow hast disclaundred giltlees The doghter of holy chirche / in heigh presence Thus hastow doon / and yet I holde my pees Of this meruaille / agast was al the prees As mazed folk / they stoden euerychone ffor drede of wreche / saue Custance allone ¶ Greet was the drede / and eek the repentaunce Of hem / þat hadden wrong suspecion Vp on / this sely Innocent Custaunce And for this miracle / in conclusion And by Custaunces mediacion The kyng and many another in that place Conuerted was / thanked be Cristes grace ¶ This false knyght was slayn for his vntrouthe By Iuggement of Alla hastily And yet Custaunce / hadde of his deeth greet routhe And after this / Ihesus of his mercy Made Alla / wedden ful solempnely This holy mayden / þat is so bright and shene And thus hath Crist maad Custance a queene ¶ But who was woful / if I shal nat lye Of this weddyng but Donegild and namo The kynges moder / ful of tirannye Hir thoughte / hir cursed herte brast atwo She wolde noght hir sone had doon so Hir thoughte a despit þat he sholde take So straunge a creature / vn to his make ¶ Me list nat of the chaf / ne of the stree Maken so long a tale / as of the corn What sholde I tellen / of the realtee At mariages / or which cours gooth biforn Who bloweth in trompe / or in an horn The fruyt of euery tale / is for to seye They ete and drynke / and daunce / & synge & pleye ¶ They goon to bedde as it was skile and right ffor though þat wyues / been ful holy thynges They moste take / in pacience at nyght Swich manere necessaries / as been plesynges To folk / that han ywedded hem with rynges And laye a lite / hir holynesse asyde As for the tyme / it may noon oother bityde ¶ On hire / he gat a knaue child anon And to a bisshope / and his Constable eke He took his wyf to kepe / whan he is gon To Scotlondward / his foomen for to seke Now faire Custaunce / þat is so humble & meke So longe is goon with childe / til þat stille She halt hir chambre / abidyng cristes wille ¶ The tyme is come / a knaue child she beer Mauricius at the font stoon / they hym calle This Constable / dooth forth come a Messager And wroot vn to his kyng þat clepyd was Alle How þat / this blisful tidynge is bifalle And othere tidynges / speedful for to seye He tath the lettre / and forth he goth his weye ¶ This Messager / to doon his auauntage Vn to the kynges moder / rideth swithe And salueth ful faire / in his langage Ma dame quod he / ye may be glad and blithe And thanketh god / an hundred thousand sithe My lady queene / hath child with outen doute To ioye and blisse / of al this regne aboute ¶ Lo here the lettres / seled of this thyng That I moot bere / with al the haste I may If ye wol aught vn to youre sone the kyng I am youre seruaunt bothe nyght and day Donegild answerde / as now at this tyme nay But here al nyght I wol thow take thy reste To morwe / wol I seye thee what me leste [Thi]s Messager / drank sadly ale and wyn And stolen were / his lettres pryuely Out of his box / whil he sleep as a swyn And countrefeted / was ful subtilly Another lettre / wroght ful synfully Vn to the kyng direct of this matere ffro his Constable / as ye shal after heere ¶ The lettre spak / the queene deliuered was Of so horrible / a fendlich creature That in the Castel / noon so hardy was That any while / dorste ther endure The moder was an Elf / by auenture Ycomen / by charmes / or by sorcerye And euerich / hateth hir compaignye ¶ Wo was this kyng whan he this lettre hadde seyn But to no wight he tolde his sorwes soore But of his owene hond / he wroot ageyn Welcome the sonde of Crist / for euere moore To me / þat am now lerned in his loore Lord / welcome be thy lust and thy plesaunce My lust I putte al in thyn ordinaunce ¶ Kepeth this child / al be it foul or feir And eek my wyf / vn to myn hom comynge Crist whan hym list may sende me an heir Moore agreable than this / to my likynge This lettre he seleth / pryuely wepynge Which to the Messager / was take soone And forth he goth / ther is namoore to doone ¶ O Messager / fulfild of dronkenesse¶ Quid turpius ebrioso / cui fetor in ore / tremor in corpore / qui promit stulta / prodit occulta / cui mens alienatur / facies transformatur / nullum enim latet secretum vbi regnat ebrietas. Strong is thy breeth / thy lymes faltren ay And thow biwreyest al secrenesse The mynde is lorn / thow ianglest as a Iay Thy face is turned / in a newe array Ther dronkenesse regneth / in any route Ther is no conseil hid / with outen doute ¶ O Donegild / I ne haue noon englissh digne Vn to thy malice / and thy tirannye And ther fore / to the feend I thee resigne Lat hym enditen / of thy traitorie ffy mannyssh fy / o nay by god I lye ffy fendlich spirit for I dar wel telle Thogh thow heere walke / thy spirit is in helle ¶ This Messager / comth fro the kyng agayn And at the kynges modres Court he lighte And she was / of this Messager ful fayn And plesed hym / in al that euere she myghte He drank / and wel his girdel vnder pighte He slepeth / and he fnorteth in his gyse Al nyght til the sonne gan aryse ¶ Eft were his lettres / stolen euerichon And countrefeted lettres / in this wyse The kyng comaundeth / his Constable anon Vp peyne of hangyng and on heigh Iuyse That he ne sholde suffren / in no wyse Custance / in with his regne for tabyde Thre dayes / and a quarter of o tyde ¶ But in the same Shipe / as he hir fond Hire and hir yonge sone / and al hir geere He sholde putte / and crowde hir fro the lond And charge hire / þat she neuere eft coome there O my Custaunce / wel may thy goost haue fere And slepyng in thy dreem / been in penaunce Whan Donegild / caste al this ordinaunce ¶ This Messager / on morwe whan he wook Vn to the Castel / halt the nexte wey And to the Constable / he the lettre took And whan þat he / this pitous lettre sey fful ofte / he seyde allas and weilawey Lord crist quod he / how may this world endure So ful of synne / is many a creature. [O] myghty god / if that it be thy wille Sith thow art rightful Iuge / how may it be That thow wolt suffren / Innocentz to spille And wikked folk / regnen in prosperitee O goode Custaunce / allas so wo is me That I moot be thy tormentour / or deye On shames deeth / ther nys noon oother weye ¶ Wepen bothe yonge and olde / in al that place Whan þat the kyng this cursed lettre sente And Custance / with a dedly pale face The ferthe day / toward hir shipe she wente But nathelees / she taketh in good entente The wyl of Crist / and knelyng on the Stronde She seyde lord / ay wel come be thy sonde ¶ He þat me kepte / fro the false blame Whil I was on the lond / amonges yow He kan me kepe / fro harm and eek fro shame In salte see / al thogh I se noght how As strong as euere he was / he is yet now In hym triste I / and in his moder deere That is to me / my Sayl and eek my steere ¶ Hir litel child / lay wepyng in hir arm And knelyng pitously to hym she seyde Pees litel sone / I wol do thee noon harm With that hir couerchief / ouer hir hed she breyde And ouer his litel eyen / she it leyde And in hir arm / she lulleth it ful faste And in to heuene / hir eyen vp she caste ¶ Moder quod she / and mayden bright Marie Sooth is / þat thurgh wommans eggement Mankynde was lorn / and dampned ay to dye ffor which thy child / was on a croys yrent Thy blisful eyen / sawe al his torment Thanne is ther / no comparison bitwene Thy wo / and any wo man may sustene ¶ Thow saw thy child / yslayn bifor thyne eyen And yet now / lyueth my litel child parfay Now lady bright to whom alle woful cryen Thow glorie of wommanhod / thow faire may Thow hauen of refut brighte sterre of day Rewe on my child / that of thy gentillesse Rewest on euery rewful in distresse ¶ O litel child / allas what is thy gilt That neuere wroghtest synne / as yet pardee Why wil thyn harde fader / han thee spilt O mercy deere Constable / quod she As lat my litel child / dwelle here with thee And if thow darst noght sauen hym for blame So kys hym ones / in his fader name ¶ Ther with she looketh / bakward to the londe And seyde / fare wel housbonde routhelees And vp she rist and walketh doun the Stronde Toward the shipe / hir folweth al the prees And euere / she preyeth hir child / to holde his pees And taketh hir leue / and with an holy entente She blesseth hire / and in to shipe she wente ¶ Vitailled was the shipe / it is no drede Habundantly for hire / ful longe space And othere necessaries / þat sholde nede She hadde ynow / heryed be goddes grace ffor wynd and weder / almyghty god purchace And brynge hir hom / I kan no bettre seye But in the see / she dryueth forth hir weye [PART III.] ¶ Alla the kyng comth hom soone after this Vn to his Castel / of the which I tolde And axeth / where his wyf / and his child is The Constable / gan aboute his herte colde And pleynly / al the manere he hym tolde As ye han herd / I kan telle it no bettre And sheweth the kyng his seel and his lettre [A]nd seyde lord / as ye comaunded me Vp peyne of deeth / so haue I do certein This Messager / tormented was / til he Moste biknowe / and tellen plat and pleyn ffro nyght to nyght in what place he had leyn And thus by wit and subtil enquerynge Ymagined was / by whom this harm gan sprynge ¶ The hond was knowe / þat the lettre wroot And al the venym / of this cursed dede But in what wise / certeynly I noot Theffect is this / þat Alla out of drede His moder slow / that may men pleynly rede ffor that she traytour was / to hir ligeaunce Thus endeth olde Donegild with meschaunce ¶ The sorwe þat this Alla / nyght and day Maketh for his wyf / and for his child also Ther is no tonge / that it telle may But now wol I / vn to Custaunce go That fleteth in the See / in peyne and wo ffyue yeer and moore / as liked Cristes sonde Er þat hir shipe / approched vn to londe ¶ Vnder an hethen Castel / atte laste Of which the name / in my text noght I fynde Custaunce and eek hir child / the see vp caste Almyghty god / that saueth al mankynde Haue on Custaunce / and on hir child som mynde That fallen is / in hethen hand eft soone In point to spille / as I shal telle yow soone ¶ Down fro the Castel / comth ther many a wight To gauren on this Shipe / and on Custaunce But shortly from the Castel / on a nyght The lordes Styward / god yeue hym meschaunce A theef / that hadde reneyed oure creaunce Cam in to shipe allone / and seyde he sholde Hir lemman be / wher so she wolde or nolde ¶ Wo was this wrecched womman tho bigon Hir child cryde / and she cryde pitously But blisful Marie / heelp hire right anon ffor with hir strogelyng wel and myghtily The theef / fil ouer bord / al sodeynly And in the see / he dreynte for vengeaunce And thus hath Crist vnwemmed kept Custaunce ¶ O foule lust of luxurie / lo thyn ende¶ O. extrema libidinis turp[itudo] que non solum men|tem effemi[nat] set eciam corpus eneruat/ se[mper] sequntur dolor & penitencia post &[c]. Nat oonly / þat thou fayntest mannes mynde But verraily / thow wolt his body shende Thende of thy werk/ or of thy lustes blynde Is compleynyng how many oon may men fynde That noght for werk som tyme / but for thentente To doon this synne / been outher slayn or shente ¶ How may this wayke womman / han this strengthe Hir to defende / agayn this renegat O. Golias / vnmesurable of lengthe How myghte dauid / make thee so maat So yong and of armure so desolat How dorste he looke / vp on thy dredful face Wel may men seen / it was but goddes grace ¶ Who yaf Iudith / corage / or hardynesse To sleen hym Olofernus / in his tente And to deliueren / out of wrecchednesse The peple of god / I sey for this entente That right as god / spirit of vigour sente To hem / and saued hem / out of meschaunce So sente he myght and vigour to Custaunce ¶ fforth gooth hir shipe / thurgh out the narwe mouth Of Iubaltare / and Septe / dryuyng ay Som tyme West and som tyme North and South And som tyme Est ful many a wery day Til Cristes moder / blissed be she ay Hath shapen / thurgh hir endelees goodnesse To make an ende / of al hir heuynesse [N]ow lat vs stynte of Custaunce / but a throwe And speke we / of the Romayn Emperour That out of Surrye / hath by lettres knowe The slaughtre of cristen folk / and dishonour Doon to his doghter / by a fals traytour I mene / the cursed wikked Sowdanesse That at the feeste / leet sleen bothe moore and lesse ¶ ffor which this Emperour / hath sent anon His Senatour / with Roial ordinaunce And othere lordes / god woot many oon On Surryens / to taken heigh vengeaunce They brennen / sleen / and brynge hem to meschaunce fful many a day / but shortly this is thende Homward to Rome / they shapen hem to wende ¶ This senatour / repaireth with Victorie To Romeward / saylynge ful Roially And mette the ship dryuynge / as seith the stori In which Custaunce / sit ful pitously No thyng ne knew he / what she was / ne why She was in swich array / ne she nyl seye Of hir estaat thogh she sholde deye ¶ He bryngeth hire to Rome / and to his wyf He yaf hire / and hir yonge sone also And with the Senatour / she ladde hir lyf Thus kan oure lady / bryngen out of woMaria mater omnium virtu|tum. [in a late hand] Woful Custaunce / and many another mo And longe tyme / dwelled she in that place In holy werkes euere / as was hir graceR Wryne[in the same late hand] ¶ The senatours wyf / hir Aunte was But for al that she knew hir neuer the moore I wol no lenger / taryen in this cas But to kyng Alla / which I spak of yoore That for his wyf / wepeth and siketh soore I wol retourne / and lete I wole Custaunce Vnder the Senatours gouernaunce ¶ Kyng Alla / which þat hadde his moder slayn Vp on a day / fil in swich repentaunce That if I shortly / tellen shal and playn To Rome he cometh / to receyuen his penaunce And putte hym / in the Popes ordinaunce In heigh and logh / and Ihesu Crist bisoghte fforyeue / his wikked werkes þat he wroghte ¶ The fame anon / thurgh Rome town is born How Alla kyng shal comen in pilgrymage By herbergeours / that wenten hym biforn ffor which the Senatour / as was vsage Rood hym agayns / and many of his lynage As wel to shewen / his heighe magnyficence As to doon / any kyng a reuerence ¶ Greet cheere / doth this noble Senatour To kyng Alla / and he to hym also Euerich of hem / dooth oother greet honour And so bifel / þat in a day / or two This Senatour / is to kyng Alla go To feste / and shortly / if I shal nat lye Custaunces sone / wente in his compaignye ¶ Som men wolde seyn / at requeste of Custaunce This Senatour / hath lad this child to feste I may nat tellen / euerich circumstaunce Be as be may / ther was he atte leste But sooth is this / þat at his modres heste Biforn Alla / duryng the metes space The child stood / lookynge in the kynges face ¶ This Alla kyng hath of this child greet wonder And to the Senatour / he seyde anon Whos is that faire child / that stondeth yonder I noot quod he / by god and by Seint Iohn A moder he hath / but fader hath he non That I of woot/ and shortly in a stounde He tolde Alla / how þat this child was founde [Bu]t god woot quod this Senatour also So vertuous a lyuere / in my lyf Ne saw I neuere as she / ne herde of mo Of worldly wommen / mayde ne of wyf I dar wel seyn / hir hadde leuere a knyf Thurgh out hir brest/ than been a womman wikke Ther is no man / koude brynge hire to that prikke ¶ Now was this child / as lyk vn to Custaunce As possible is / a creature to be This Alla / hath the face in remembraunce Of dame Custaunce / and ther on mused he If þat the childes moder / were aught she That is his wyf / and pryuely he sighte And spedde hym fro the table that he myghte ¶ Parfay thoughte he / fantome is in myn heed I oghte deme / of skilful Iugement That in the salte see / my wif is deed And afterward / he made his argument What woot I / if þat Crist hath hider sent My wif by see / as wel as he hir sente To my contree / from thennes þat she wente ¶ And after noon / hom with the Senatour Goth Alla / for to seen this wonder chaunce This Senatour / dooth Alla greet honour And hastily / he sente after Custaunce But tristeth wel / hir liste noght to daunce Whan that she wiste / wher fore was that sonde Vnnethe / vp on hir feet she myghte stonde ¶ Whan Alla saugh his wyf / faire he hir grette And weepe / that it was routhe for to se ffor at the firste look / he on hir sette He knew wel verraily / þat it was she And she for sorwe / as domb stant as a tree So was hir herte shet in hir distresse Whan she remembred / his vnkyndenesse ¶ Twies she swowneth / in his owene sighte He weepe / and hym excuseth pitously Now god quod he / and his halwes brighte So wisly on my soule / as haue mercy That of youre harm / as giltlees am I. As is Maurice my sone / so lyk youre face Ellis the feend / me fecche out of this place ¶ Long was the sobbyng and the bitter peyne Er þat / hir woful hertes myghte cesse Greet was the pitee / for to heere hem pleyne Thurgh whiche pleintes / gan hir wo encresse I pray yow / al my labour to relesse I may nat telle hir wo / vn til to morwe I am so wery / for to speke of sorwe ¶ But finally / whan þat the sooth is wist/ That Alla / giltlees was of hir wo I trowe / an hundred tymes been they kist And swich a blisse / is ther bitwix hem two That saue the ioye / þat lasteth eueremo Ther is noon lyk / þat any creature Hath seyn / or shal / whil þat the world may dure ¶ Tho preyde she / hir housbond mekely In relief / of hir longe pitous pyne That he wolde praye / hir fader specially That of his magestee / he wolde enclyne To vouche sauf / som day with hym to dyne She preyde hym eek he sholde by no weye Vn to hir fader / no word of hir seye ¶ Som men wolde seyn / how þat the child Mauryce Dooth this message / vn to this Emperour But as I gesse / Alla was noght so nyce To hym þat was / of so souereyn honour As he þat is / of cristen folk the flour Sente any child / but it is bet to deme He wente hym self and so it may wel seme [Thi]s Emperour / hath graunted gentilly To come to dyner / as he hym bisoghte And wel rede I / he looked bisily Vp on this child / and on his doghter thoghte Alla gooth to his In / and as hym oghte Arrayed for this feste in euery wise As ferforth / as his konnyng may suffise ¶ The morwe cam / and Alla gan hym dresse And eek his wyf / this Emperour to meete And forth they ryde / in Ioye and in gladnesse And whan she say / hir fader in the Streete She lighte doun / and falleth hym to feete ffader quod she / youre yonge child Custaunce Is now ful clene / out of youre remembraunce ¶ I am youre doghter Custance / quod she That whilom ye han sent / vn to Surrye It am I fader / that in the salte See Was put allone / and dampned for to dye Now goode fader / mercy I yow crye Seend me namoore / vn to noon hethenesse But thonke my lord heere / of his kyndenesse ¶ Who kan the pitous Ioye / tellen al Bitwix hem thre / syn they be thus ymette But of my tale / make an ende I shal The day goth faste / I wol no lenger lette This glade folk to dyner they hem sette In ioye and blisse / at mete I lete hem dwelle A thousand fold / wel moore than I kan telle ¶ This child Maurice / was sithen Emperour Maad by the Pope / and lyued cristenly To cristes chirche / he dide greet honour But I lete / al this storie passen by Of Custaunce / is my tale specially In the olde Romayn gestes / may men fynde Maurices lyf / I bere it noght in mynde ¶ This kyng Alla / whan he his tyme say With his Custaunce / his holy wif so swete To Engelond / been they com the righte way Wher as they lyue / in ioye and in quiete But litel while it lasteth I yow heete¶ A mane vsque [ad vesperam mu]tabitur tempus / t[enent tympa]num & gaudent ad s[onum organi]. [MS is gnawn away by rats.] Ioye of this world / for tyme wol nat abyde ffro day to nyght it chaungeth as the tyde ¶ Who lyued euere / in swich delit / a day That hym ne moeued / outher Conscience¶ Quis vnquam vnicam diem totam [duxit] in sua dileccione iocundam / quem [in ali]qua parte diei reatus con|sciencie / v[el] impetus ire / vel motus concupiscen[tie] non tur|bauerit/ quem liuor Inuidie vel ardor auaricie / vel tumor superbie non vexauerit / quem aliqua iactura vel offensa / vel passio non commouerit &c. [The MS is partly gnawn away.] Or Ire / or talent or som kyn affray Enuye / or pryde / or passion / or offence I ne seye / but for this ende this sentence That litel while / in ioye / or in plesaunce Lasteth the blisse of Alla with Custaunce ¶ ffor deeth that taketh / of heigh and logh his rente Whan passed was a yeer / euene as I gesse Out of this world / this kyng Alla he hente ffor whom Custaunce / hath ful greet heuynesse Now lat vs prayen god / his soule blesse And dame Custance / fynally to seye Toward the town of Rome / gooth hir weye ¶ To Rome is come / this holy creature And fyndeth hir freendss / hoole and sownde Now is she scaped / al hir auenture And whan that she / hir fader hath yfownde Doun on hir knees / falleth she to grownd Wepynge for tendrenesse / in herte blythe She herieth god / an hondred thousand sythe ¶ In vertue / and holy almes-dede They lyuen alle / and neuere asonder wende Til deeth departeth hem / this lyf they lede And fareth now wel / my tale is at an ende Now Ihesu crist that of his myght may sende Ioye after wo / gouerne vs in his grace And kepe vs alle / that been in this place Amen. ¶ Here is ended / the tale / of the man of Lawe. ¶ Here bigynneth / the Squiers tale. AT Sarray / in the land of Tartarye Ther dwelte a kyng that werreyed Russye Thurgh which / ther deyde many a doghty man This noble kyng was clepid kambynskan[? MS kambyuskan] Which in his tyme / was of so greet renoun That ther nas nowher in no Regioun So excellent a lord / in alle thyng Hym lakked noght þat longed to a kyng As of the secte / of which þat he was born He kepte his lay / to which þat he was sworn And ther to / he was hardy / wys / and riche Pietous and Iust and euere moore yliche Sooth of his word / benigne and honurable Of his corage / as any Centre stable¶ Centrum circuli. Yong fressh / and strong in armes desirous As any Bachiler / of al his hous A fair persone he was / and fortunat And kepte alwey / so wel Roial estat That ther nas no wher / swich another man ¶ This noble kyng / this Tartre Cambynskan Hadde two sones / on Elfeta his wyf Of whiche / the eldeste highte Algarsyf/ That oother sone / was clepid Cambalo A doghter hadde / this worthy kyng also That yongest was / and highte Canacee But for to telle yow / al hir beautee It lyth nat in my tonge / nyn my konnyng I dar nat vndertake / so heigh a thyng Myn englyssh eek / is insufficient It moste been / a Rethor excellent That koude his colours / longyng for that Art If he sholde hire / discryuen euery part I am noon swich / I moot speke as I kan And so bifel / that whan this kambynskan Hath .xx. wynter / born his dyademe As he was wont fro yeer to yeer I deme [He leetRats. the feste / of his Natiuitee [Rats. Do]n crien / thurgh out Sarray his Citee The laste Idus of March / after the yeer Phebus the sonne / ful iolyf was and cleer ffor he was ny his exaltacion In Martes face / and his mansion In Aries / the Coleryk hote signe fful lusty was the weder / and benygne ffor which the foweles / agayn the sonne shene What for the seson / and the yonge grene fful loude songen / hir affeccions Hem semed / han geten hem proteccions Agayn the swerd of wynter / kene and cold ¶ This Cambynskan / of which I haue yow told In Roial vestyment sit on his deys With dyademe / ful hye in his paleys And halt his feste / solempne and so riche That in this world / ne was ther noon it liche Of which / if I shal tellen al tharray Thanne wolde it ocupie / a someres day And eek it nedeth nat/ to deuyse At euery cours / the ordre of hir seruyse I wol nat tellen / of hir straunge sewes Ne of her swannes / ne of hir heron sewes Eek in that land / as tellen knyghtes olde Ther is som mete / þat is ful deyntee holde That in this land / men recche of it but smal Ther nys no man / þat may reporten al I wol nat tarien yow / for it is pryme And for it is no fruyt but los of tyme Vn to my firste / I wol haue my recours ¶ And so bifel / þat after the thridde Cours Whil þat this kyng sit thus / in his nobleye Herknynge his Mynstrals / hir thynges pleye Biforn hym at the bord / deliciously In at the halle dore / al sodeynly Ther cam a knyght vp on a Steede of bras And in his hand / a brood Mirour of glas Vp on his thombe / he hadde / of gold a ryng And by his syde / a naked swerd hangyng And vp he rydeth / to the heighe bord In al the halle / ne was ther spoke a word ffor merueille of this knyght hym to biholde fful bisily / they wayten / yonge and olde ¶ This straunge knyght that cam thus sodeynly Al armed saue his heed / ful richely Salueth kyng and queene / and lordes alle By ordre / as they seten in the halle With so heigh reuerence / and obeisances As wel in his speche / as in his contenances That Gawayn / with his olde curteisye Thogh he were come agayn / out of ffairye Ne koude hym nat amende / with a word And after this / biforn the hye bord He with a manly voys / seyde his message After the forme / vsed in his langage With outen vice / of silable / or of lettre And for his tale / sholde seme the bettre Acordant to his wordes / was his cheere As techeth art of speche / hem þat it leere Al be / þat I kan nat sowne / his style Ne kan nat clymben / ouer so heigh a style Yet seye I this / þat as to commune entente Thus muche amounteth / al that euere he mente If it so be / þat I haue it in my mynde ¶ He seyde / the kyng of Arabe / and of Inde My lige lord / on this solempne day Salueth yow / as he best kan and may And sendeth yow / in honour of youre feste By me / that am al redy / at youre heste This Steede of bras / that esily and weel Kan in the space / of o day naturel This is to seyn / in .xxiiij. houres Wher so yow list/ in droghte / or ellis shoures Beren youre body / in to euery place To which youre herte / wilneth for to pace With outen wem of yow / thurgh foul or fair Or if yow list to flee as hye in the Ayr As dooth an Egle / whan hym list to soore This same Steede / shal bere yow euere moore [WithRats.] outen harm / til ye be ther yow leste [Rats.Th]ough þat ye slepen / on his bak / or reste And turne agayn / with writhyng of a pyn He þat it wroghte / koude many a gyn He wayted / many a constellacion Er he hadde doon / this operacion And knew ful many a seel / and many a bond ¶ This Mirour eek/ that I haue in myn hond Hath swich a myght þat men may in it see Whan ther shal fallen / any aduersitee Vn to youre regne / or to your sel also And openly / who is youre freend / or fo ¶ And ouer al this / if any lady bright Hath set hir herte / on any maner wight If he be fals / she shal his trayson see His newe loue / and al his subtiltee So openly / þat ther shal no thyng hyde Wher fore / agayn this lusty Someres tyde This Mirour and this ryng/ þat ye may see He hath sent to my lady Canacee Youre excellente doghter/ þat is heerehic ¶ The vertu of the ryng if ye wol heereaudire Is this / þat if hir list it for to were Vp on hir thombe / or in hir purs it bere Ther nys no fowel / þat fleeth vnder the heuene That she ne shal wel / vnderstonde his steuene And knowe his menyng openly and pleyn And answere hym / in his langage ageyn And euery gras / þat groweth vp on roote She shal eek knowe / and whom it wol doon boote Al be his woundes / neuer so depe and wyde ¶ This naked swerd / þat hangeth by my syde Swich vertu hath / þat what man so ye smyte Thurgh out his armure / it wol kerue and byte Were it as thikke / as is a braunched ook And what man / þat is wounded with the Strook Shal neuere be hool / til þat yow lust of grace To stroke hym with the platte / in thilke place Ther he is hurt this is as muche to seyn Ye moote / with the platte swerd ageyn Stroke hym in the wounde / and it wol close This is a verray sooth / with outen glose It failleth nat / whiles it is in youre hold And whan this knyght hath thus his tale ytold He rideth out of halle / and doun he lighte ¶ His Steede which þat shoon / as sonne brighte Stant in the Court stille as any stoon This knyght is to his chambre lad anon And is vnarmed / and to mete yset The presentz / been ful realliche yfet This is to seyn / the swerd and the Mirour And born anon / in to the heighe tour With certein Officers / ordeyned ther fore And vn to Canacee / the ryng is bore Solempnely / ther she sit at the table But sikerly / with outen any fable The hors of bras / þat may nat been remewed It stant as it were / to the ground yglewed Ther may no man / out of the place it dryue ffor noon engyn / of wyndas or polyue And cause why / for they kan nat the craft And ther fore / in the place / they han it laft Til þat the knyght hath taught hem the manere To voyden hym / as ye shal after heere ¶ Greet was the prees / that swarmeth to and fro To gauren on this hors / that stondeth so ffor it so heigh was / and so brood and long So wel proporcioned / for to ben strong Right as it were / a Steede of lumbardye Ther-with so horsly / and so quyk of eye As it a gentil Poyleys courser weere ffor certes / fro his tayl / vn to his eere Nature / ne art ne koude hym nat amende In no degree / as al the peple wende ¶ But euere moore / hir mooste wonder was How þat it koude goon / and was of bras It was a ffairye / as the peple semed Dyuerse folk/ dyuersely han demed As many heuedes / as many wittes ther been They murmured / as dooth a swarm of been [AndRats.] maden skiles / after hir fantasies Rehersynge / of thise olde Poetries And seyden / it was lyk the Pegasee.i. equs Pegaseus. The hors / þat hadde wynges for to flee Or ellis it was / the Grekys hors Synon That broghte Troye / to destruccion As men / in thise olde gestes rede ¶ Myn herte quod oon / is euere moore in drede I trowe / som men of armes been ther Inne That shapen hem / this Citee for to wynne It were right good / þat al swich thyng were knowe ¶ Another rowned / to his felawe lowe And seyde he lyeth / for it is rather lyk An apparence / ymaad by som magyk As Iogelours pleyen / at thise festes grete Of sondry doutes / thus they iangle and trete As lewed peple / demeth comunly Of thynges / þat been moore maad subtilly Than they kan / in hir lewednesse comprehende They demen gladly / to the badder ende ¶ And somme of hem / wondren on the Mirour That born was vp / vn to the maister tour How men myghte in it/ swiche thynges se ¶ Another answerde / and seyde it myghte wel be Naturelly / by composicions / Of anglis / and of sly reflexions And seiden / þat in Rome was swich oon They speke of Alocen / and Vitulon Of Aristotle / þat writen in hir lyues Of queynte Mirours / and of perspectyues As knowen they / þat han hir bookes herd ¶ And oother folk/ han wondred on the swerd That wolde percen / thurgh out euery thyng And fille in speche / of Thelophus the kyng And of Achilles / for his queynte spere ffor he koude with it/ bothe heele and dere Right in swich wise / as men may / with the swerd Of which right now / ye han your seluen herd ¶ They speeke / of sondry hardyng of metal And speke of medicynes / ther with al And how / and whanne / it sholde yharded be Which is vnknowe / algates vn to me ¶ Tho speeke they / of Canacees ryng And seyden alle / þat swich a wonder thyng Of craft of rynges / herde they neuere non Saue þat he Moyses / and kyng Salomon Hadde a name of konnyng in swich art Thus seyn the peple / and drawen hem a part ¶ But nathelees / somme seyden þat it was Wonder / to maken of fern asshen glas And yet is glas / nat lyk asshen of fern But for they han / knowen it so fern Therfore / cesseth hir Ianglyng and hir wonder ¶ As soore wondren somme / on cause of thonder On ebbe and flood / on gossomer / and on myst And alle thyng til þat the cause is wist Thus Ianglen they / and demen and deuyse Til that the kyng gan fro the bord aryse ¶ Phebus hath laft the angle Meridional And yet ascendyng is / the beest roial The gentil leon / with his Aldiran Whan þat this tartre kyng Cambynskan Roos fro his bord / ther as he sat ful hye Biforn hym gooth / the loude Mynstralcye Til he cam / to his chambre of parementz There as ther sownen / diuerse Instrumentz That it is lyk / an heuene for to heere Now dauncen / lusty Venus children deere ffor in the fissh / hir lady sat ful hye And looketh on hem / with a freendly eye ¶ This noble kyng is set vp on his trone This straunge knyght is fet to hym ful soone And on the daunce he gooth / with Canacee Here is / the reuel / and the Iolitee That is nat able / a dul man to deuyse He moste han knowe / loue and his seruyse And been a festlich man / as fressh as May That sholde yow deuysen / swich array ¶ Who koude telle yow / the forme daunces So vnkouthe / and swiche fresshe contenaunces [Rats.Sw]ich subtil lookyng and dissimulynges ffor drede / of Ialous mennes aperceyuynges No man but launcelot and he is deed Ther fore I passe / of al this lustiheed I sey namoore / but in this Iolynesse I lete hem / til men / to the souper dresse ¶ The Styward / byt Spices for to hye And eek the wyn / in al this melodye The vsshers / and the Squyers / been ygon The Spices and the wyn / is come anon They ete and drynke / and whan this hadde an ende Vn to the temple / as reson was they wende ¶ The seruyce doon / they soupen al by day What nedeth yow / rehercen hir array Ech man woot wel / þat at a kynges feste Hath plentee / to the meeste / and to the leeste And deyntees / mo than been in my knowyng At after souper / gooth this noble kyng To seen this hors of bras / with al a route Of lordes / and of ladyes / hym aboute ¶ Swich wondryng was ther/ on this hors of bras That syn the grete sege / of Troye was Ther as men wondreden / on an hors also Ne was ther / swich a wondryng as was tho But finally / the kyng axeth this knyght The vertu of this Courser / and the myght And preyed hym / to telle his gouernaunce ¶ This hors anon / gan for to trippe and daunce Whan þat this knyght leyde hand vp on his reyne And seyde sire / ther nys namoore to seyne But whan yow list to ryden any where Ye moten trille a pyn / stant in his ere Which I shal yow telle / bitwixe vs two Ye mote nempne hym / to what place also Or to what contree / þat yow list to ryde And whan ye come / ther as yow list abyde Byd hym descende / and tryl another pyn ffor ther Inne lyth / theffect of al the gyn And he wol doun descende / and doon youre wille And in that place / he wol abiden stille Theigh al the world / the contrarie hadde yswore He shal nat thennes / be y-drawe nor ybore Or if yow list / bidde hym thennes gon Trille this pyn / and he wol vanysshe anon Out of the sighte / of euery maner wight And come agayn / be it day or nyght Whan þat yow list to clepen hym ageyn In swich a gyse / as I shal to yow seyn Bitwixen yow and me / and that ful soone Ryd whan yow lust ther is namoore to doone ¶ Enformed / whan the kyng was of that knyght And hath conceyued / in his wit aright The manere / and the forme / of al this thyng fful glad and blythe / this noble doghty kyng Repeireth to his reuel / as biforn The brydel is / vn to the tour yborn And kept among his Iewels / lief and deere The hors vanysshed / I noot in which manere Out of hir sighte / ye gete namoore for me But thus I lete / in lust and Iolitee This Cambynskan / his lordes festeyynge Til wel neigh / the day bigan to sprynge¶ Explicit prima pars. ¶ Incipit pars secunda. The norice of digestion / the sleepe Gan on hem wynke / and bad hem take keepe That muche drynke and labour / wol haue reste And with a galpyng mouth / hem alle he keste And seyde / that it was tyme / to lye adoun ffor blood / was in his domynacioun Cherisseth blood / natures freend quod he They thanken hym galpynge / by two / by thre And euery wight gan drawe hym to his reste As sleepe hem bad / they take it for the beste ¶ Hir dremes / shul nat now be toold for me fful were hir heuedes / of fumositee [Rats.That cau]seth dreem / of which ther nys no charge [Rats.The]y slepen / til that it was pryme large The mooste part but it were Canacee She was ful mesurable / as wommen be ffor of hir fader / hadde she take leue To goon to reste / soone after it was eue Hir liste nat apalled for to be Nor on the morwe / vnfestlich for to se And slepte hir firste sleep / and awook ffor swich a ioye / she in her herte took Bothe of hir queynte ryng and hir Mirour That .xx. tyme / she chaunged hir colour And in hir sleepe / right for impression Of hir Mirour / she hadde a vision Wher fore / er þat the sonne gan vp glyde She clepyd / vp on hir maistresse / hir bisyde And seyde / þat hir liste for to ryse ¶ Thise olde wommen / þat been gladly wyse As is hir maystresse / answerde hir anon And seyde / madame / whider wolde ye gon Thus erly / for the folk been alle on reste ¶ I wol quod she aryse / for me leste No lenger for to slepe / and walke aboute Hir maistresse / clepith wommen / a gret route And vp they rysen / wel an .x. or .xij.e Vp riseth / fresshe Canacee hir selue As rody and bright as dooth the yonge sonne That in the ram / is .4. degrees vp ronne Noon hyere was he / whan she redy was And forth she walketh / esily a pas Arrayed / after the lusty seson soote Lightly for to pleye / and walke on foote Nat but with .v. or .vj. of hir meynee And in a trench / forth in the park goth she ¶ The vapour / which þat fro the erthe glood Made the sonne / to seme rody and brood But nathelees / it was so fair a sighte That it made / al hir hertes for to lighte What for the seson / and the morwenynge And for the fowles / that she herde synge ffor right anon / she wiste what they mente Right by hir song and knew al hir entente ¶ The knotte / why / that euery tale is told If it be taryed / til þat lust be cold Of hem / þat han it after herkned yoore The sauour passeth / euer lenger the moore ffor fulsomnesse / of his prolixitee And by this same reson / thynketh me I scholde / to the knotte condescende And maken of hir walkyng soone an ende ¶ Amydde a tree / for drye as whit as chalk/ As Canacee / was pleyynge in hir walk Ther sat a ffawkon / ouer hir heed ful hye And with a pitous voys / so gan to crye That al the wode / resowned of hir cry ybeten hadde she hir self / so pitously with bothe hir wynges / til the rede blood Ran endelong the tree / ther as she stood And euere in oon / she cryde alwey and shrighte And with hir beek hir seluen so she prighte That ther nys tygre / ne so cruel beest That dwelleth / outher in wode / or in fforest That nolde han wept / if þat he wepe koude ffor sorwe of hire / she shrighte alwey so loude ¶ ffor ther nas neuere man / yet on lyue If þat I koude / a ffaukon wel discryue That herde of swich another / of fairnesse As wel of plumage / as of gentillesse Of shape / of al that myghte yrekened be A ffaukon peregryn / thanne semed she Of fremde land / and euere moore as she stood She swowned now and now / for lakke of blood Til wel neigh / is she fallen / fro that tree ¶ This faire kynges doghter Canacee That on hir fynger / baar the queynte ryng Thurgh which / she vnderstood wel euery thyng That any fowl / may in his ledne sayn And koude answere hym / in his ledne agayn Hath vnderstonden / what this ffaukon seyde And wel neigh for the routhe / almoost she deyde [Rats.And t]o the tree / she goth ful hastily [Rats.A]nd on this ffaukon / looketh pitously And heeld hir lappe abrood / for wel she wiste The ffaukon / moste fallen fro the twiste Whan þat it swowneth next for lakke of blood A long while / to wayten hir she stood Til at the laste / she spak / in this manere Vn to the hauk / as ye shal after heere ¶ What is the cause / if it be for to telle That ye been / in this furial pyne of helle Quod Canacee / vn to this hauk aboue Is this for sorwe of deeth / or los of loue ffor as I trowe / thise been causes two That causen moost/ a gentil herte wo Of oother harm / it nedeth nat to speke ffor ye your self / vp on yow self yow wreke Which proeueth wel / þat outher Ire or drede Moot been encheson / of youre cruel dede Syn þat I se / noon oother wight yow chace ffor loue of god / as dooth your seluen grace Or what may been youre help / for west nor Est Ne saw I neuere er now / no bryd ne beest That ferde / with hym self so pitously Ye sleen me / with youre sorwe verraily I haue of yow / so greet compassioun ffor goddes loue / com fro the tree adoun And as I am / a kynges doghter trewe If þat I verraily / the cause knewe Of youre disese / if it laye in my myght I wolde amende it er that it were nyght As wisly help me / grete god of kynde And herbes / shal I right ynowe fynde To heele with / youre hurtes hastily ¶ Tho shrighte this ffaukon / yet moore pitously Than euer she dide / and fil to ground anon And lyth aswowne deed / and lik a ston Til Canacee / hath in hir lappe hir take Vn to that tyme / she gan of swowne awake And aftere / that she of swow / gan abreyde Right in hir haukes ledne / thus she seyde That pitee renneth soone / in gentil herte ffeelynge his similitude / in peynes smerte Is proued al day / as men may it see As wel by werk/ as by auctoritee ffor gentil herte / kitheth gentilesse I se wel / þat ye han of my distresse Compassion / my faire Canacee Of verray / wommanly benygnitee That nature / in youre principles hath set/ But for noon hope / for to fare the bet But for to obeye / vn to youre herte free And for to maken othere / ywar by me As by the whelpe / chasted is the leon Right for that cause / and for that conclusion Whil þat I haue / a leyser and a space Myn harm / I wol confessen / er I pace And euere / whil þat oon / hir sorwe tolde That oother weep / as she to water wolde Til þat the ffaukon / bad hir to be stille And with a syk/ right thus she seyde hir wille ¶ Ther I was bred / allas that ilke day And fostred in a Roch / of Marbul gray So tendrely / þat no thyng eyled me I nyste nat what was aduersitee Til I koude fle / ful hye vnder the sky Tho dwelte a tercelet me faste by That semed welle / of alle gentillesse Al were he ful / of trayson and falsnesse If was so wrapped / vnder humble cheere And vnder hewe of trouthe / in swich manere Vnder plesaunce / and vnder bisy peyne That no wight wolde han wend / he koude feyne So depe in greyn / he dyed his colours Right as a serpent hit hym vnder floures Til he may se his tyme / for to byte Right so / this god of loues ypocrite Dooth so his cerymonijs / and obeysances And kepeth in semblant alle hise obseruances That sownen / in to gentilesse of loue As on a Tombe / is al the faire aboue [Rats.An]d vnder is the cors / swich as ye woot Swich was this ypocrite / bothe cold and hoot And in this wise / he serued his entente That saue the feend / noon wiste what he mente Til he so longe / hadde wopen and compleyned A many a yeer / his seruice to me feyned Til that myn herte / to pitous and to nyce Al Innocent of his crowned malice ffor-fered of his deeth / as thoughte me Vp on his othes / and his seuretee Graunted hym loue / vp on this condicioun That euere mo / myn honour and renoun Were saued / bothe pryuee and apert That is to seyn / that after his desert I yaf hym al myn herte / and my thoght God woot and he / þat oother wise noght And took his herte / in chaunge of myn for ay But sooth is seyd / goon sithen many a day A trewe wight and a theef / thynketh nat oon ¶ And whanne he saw the thyng so fer ygon That I hadde graunted hym fully my loue In swich a gise / as I haue seyd aboue And yeuen hym / my trewe herte as fre As he swoor / he yaf his herte to me Anoon this tygre / ful of doublenesse ffil on his knees / with so deuout humblesse With so heigh reuerence / and as by his cheere So lyk a gentil louere / of manere So rauysshed / as it semed for the ioye That neuere Iason / ne Parys of Troye Iason certes / ne noon oother man Syn Lameth was / þat alderfirst bigan To louen two / as writen folk biforn Ne neuere / syn / the firste man was born Ne koude man / by twenty thousand part Countrefete / the Sophymes of his art Ne were worthy / vnbokele his galoche Ther doublenesse / or feynyng sholde approche Ne so koude thanke a wight as he did me His manere / was an heuene for to see Til any womman / were she neuer so wys So peynted he / and kembde at poynt deuys As wel his wordes / as his contenaunce And I so loued hym / for his obeisaunce And for the trouthe / I demed in his herte That if so weere / that any thyng hym smerte Al were it neuer so litel / and I it wiste Me thoughte / I felte deeth myn herte twiste And shortly / so ferforth this thyng is went That my wyl / was his willes Instrument This is to seyn / my wyl obeyed his wil In alle thyng as fer as reson fil Kepynge the boundes / of my worship euere Ne neuere hadde I thyng so lief ne leuere As hym god woot ne neuere shal namo ¶ This laste lenger / than a yeer / or two That I supposed of hym nat but good But finally / thus a the laste it stood That ffortune wolde / þat he moste twynne Out of that place / which þat I was Inne Wher me was wo / that is no question I kan nat make of it descripsion ffor o thyng dar I tellen boldely I knowe what is / the peyne of deeth ther by Swich harm I felte / for he ne myghte bileue So on a day / of me he took his leue So sorwefully eek/ that I wende verraily That he hadde feelyd / as muche harm as I Whan that I herde hym speke / and saw his hewe But nathelees / I thoughte he was so trewe And eek/ that he repeyre sholde agayn With Inne a litel while / sooth to sayn And reson wolde eek þat he moste go ffor his honour / as ofte happeth so That I made / vertu of necessitee And took it wel / syn þat it moste be As I best myghte / I hidde from hym my sorwe And took hym by the hand / Seint Iohn to borwe And seyde thus / lo I am youres al Beeth swich / as I to yow haue been and shal [What heRats.] answerde / it nedeth nat reherse [WhoRats.] kan seyn bet than he / who kan doon werse [Rats.W]han he hath al wel seyd / thanne hath he doon Ther fore bihoued hire / a ful long spoon That shal ete with a feend / thus herde I seye So at the laste / he moste forth his weye And forth he fleeth / til he cam ther hym leste ¶ Whan it cam hym / to purpos for to reste I trowe he hadde / thilke text in mynde That alle thing repeiryng to his kynde¶ reditu suo singula gaudent. Gladeth hym self / thus seyn men as I gesse Men louen of propre kynde / Newfangelnesse As bryddes doon / that men in Cages feede ffor theigh thow / nyght and day / take of hem hede And strawe hir Cages / faire / and softe as sylk/ And yeue hem sugre / hony / breed / and Milk Yet right anon / as þat his dore is vppe He with his feet wol sporne doun his cuppe And to the wode he wole / and wormes ete So newfangel / been they of hir mete And louen nonelries / of propre kynde No gentilesse of blood / may hem bynde ¶ So ferde this gentil tercelet allas the day Thogh he were gentil born / and fressh and gay And goodlich for to seen / and humble and free He saw vp on a tyme / a kyte flee And sodeynly / he loued this kyte so That al his loue / is clene fro me ago And hath his trouthe / falsed in this wise Thus hath the kyte / my loue in hir seruyse And I am lorn / with outen remedye And with that word / this ffaukon gan to crye And swowned eft/ in Canacees barm ¶ Greet was the sorwe / for the haukes harm That Canacee / and alle hir wommen made They nyste / how þat they myghte the ffaukon glade But Canacee / hom bereth hire / in hir lappe And softely / in plastres gan hir wrappe Ther as she with hir beek/ hadde hurt hir selue ¶ Now kan nat Canacee / but herbes delue Out of the grownd / and maken Saues newe Of herbes preciouse / and fyn of hewe To heelen with this hauk / fro day to nyght She dooth hir bisynesse / and al hir myght And by hir beddes heed / she made a Muwe And couered it / with veluettes blue In signe of trouthe / that is in wommen sene And al with oute / the Muwe is peynted grene In which were peynted / alle thise false fowles As been thise tydyues / terceletz / and Owles Right for despit were peynted hem bisyde And Pyes / on hem / for to crye / and chyde ¶ Thus lete I Canacee / hir hauk kepyng I wol namoore as now / speke of hir ryng Til it come eft to purpos for to seyn How that this ffaukon / gat hir loue ageyn Repentant / as the storie telleth vs By mediacion / of Cambalus The kynges sone / of which I to yow tolde But hennes fort I wol my proces holde To speke of auentures / and of batailles That neuere yet was herd / so greet meruailles ¶ ffirst wol I telle yow / of Cambynskan That in his tyme / many a Citee wan ¶ And after / wol I speke / of Algarsyf How that he wan / Theodora to his wyf ffor whom ful ofte / in gret peril he was Ne hadde he been holpen / by the Steede of bras ¶ And after / wol I speke of Cambalo That faught in lystes / with the bretheren two ffor Canacee / er that he myghte hir wynne And ther I lefte / I wol ayein bigynne¶ Explicit secunda pars. [[Head-line.]Inci]pit tercia pars. Appollo whirleth vp / his Char so hye Til that / the god Mercuries hous the slye ¶ The prologe / of the Marchantes tale. IN feith squyer/ thow hast thee wel yquyt And gentilly / I preise wel thy wit Quod the Marchant considerynge thy youthe So feelyngly thow spekest sire I allowthe As to my doom / ther is noon þat is heere Of eloquence / þat shal be thy peere If þat thow lyue / god yeue thee good chaunce And in vertu / sende thee continuaunce ffor of thy speche / I haue gret deyntee I haue a sone / and by the Trinitee I hadde leuere / than .xx.ti pound worth lond Thogh it right now ./ were fallen in myn hond He were a man / of swich discrecion As þat ye ben / fy on possession But if a man / be vertuous with al I haue my sone snybbed / and yit shal ffor he to vertu / lusteth nat entende But for to pleye at dees / and to despende And lese al that he hath / is his vsage And he hath leuere / talken with a page Than to commune / with any gentil wight Where he myghte lerne / gentillesse aright ¶ Straw for youre gentillesse / quod oure hoost What Marchant / pardee sire wel thow woost That ech of yow / moot tellen atte leeste A tale / or two / or breken his biheste ¶ That knowe I wel sire / quod the Marchant certeyn I prey yow / haueth me nat in desdeyn Thogh to this man / I speke a word or two ¶ Telle on thy tale / with outen wordes mo ¶ Gladly sire hoost quod he / I wol obeye Vn to youre wyl / now herkneth what I seye I wole yow nat contrarien / in no wise As fer / as þat my wittes wole suffise I prey to god / that it may plesen yow Thanne woot I wel / that it is good ynowExplicit ¶ Here bigynneth / the Marchantes tale. Whilom / ther was dwellynge in Lumbardye A worthy knyght / that born was of Pauye In which he lyuede / in greet prosperitee And .lx. yeer / a wiflees man was he And folwed ay / his bodily delit On wommen / ther as was his appetit As doon thise fooles / that been seculer And whan that he / was passed .lx. yeer Were it for holynesse / or for dotage I kan nat seye / but swich a greet corage Hadde this knyght to been a wedded man That day and nyght / he dooth al that he kan Tespien / where he myghte wedded be Preyynge oure lord / to graunten hym / þat he Mighte ones knowe / of thilke blisful lyf That is / bitwix an housbonde and his wyf And for to lyue / vnder that holy bond With which / þat god / man and womman boond Noon oother lyf seyde he / is worth a bene ffor wedlok is so esy / and so clene That in this world / it is a Paradys Thus seyde this olde knyght þat was so wys ¶ And certeynly / as sooth as god is kyng To take a wyf / it is a glorious thyng And namely / whan a man is old and hoor Thanne is a wyf / the fruyt of his tresor Thanne sholde he take/ a yong wyf and a feir On which he myghte / engendren hym an heir And lede his lyf in ioye / and in solas Wher/ as thise Bachilers / synge allas Whan þat they fynde / any aduersitee In loue / which nys but childissh vanytee And trewely / it sit wel to be so That Bachilers / haue ofte peyne and wo On brotil ground they bilde / and brotilnesse They fynde / whan they wene sikernesse [They lyRats.]ue / but as bryd / or as a beest [In lRats.]ibertee / and vnder noon arest [TRats.]her as a wedded man / in his estat Lyueth a lyf / blisful and ordynat Vnder this yok of mariage ybounde Wel may his herte / in ioye and blisse habounde ffor who kan be / so buxom as a wyf Who is so trewe / and eek so ententyf To kepe hym syk and hool / as is his make ffor wele or wo / she wol hym nat forsake She nys nat wery / hym to loue / and serue Thogh þat he ly bedrede / til he sterue And yet som clerkes seyn / it is nat so Of whiche / he Theofraste / is oon of tho What force / thogh Theofraste liste lye ¶ Ne tak no wyf quod he / for housbondrye As for to spare / in houshold thy dispence A trewe seruant dooth moore diligence Thy good to kepe / than thyn owene wyf ffor she wol clayme / half part al hir lyf And if thow be syk / so god me saue Thy verray freendes / or a trewe knaue Wol kepe thee bet than she / that wayteth ay After thy good / and hath do many a day And if thow take a wyf /1 she wole destroye Thy good substance / and thy body annoye1[1_1 Written in a rather later ink and hand.][? spurious] ¶ This sentence / and an hundred thynges worse Writeth this man / ther god his bones curse But tak no kepe / of al swich vanytee Diffye Theofraste / and herke me ¶ A wyf is goddes yifte verraily¶ vxor est diligenda / quia donum dei est Ihesus filius Syrac; domus & diuicie dantur a parentibus / a domino autem proprie / vxor bona vel prudens. Alle othere manere yiftes hardily As londes / rentes / pasture / or comune Or moebles / alle been yiftes of fortune That passen / as a shadwe vp on the wal But dreed nat if pleynly speke I shal A wyf wol laste / and in thyn hous endure Wel lenger than thee lyst perauenture ¶ Mariage / is a ful greet sacrament He / which þat hath no wyf I holde hym shent He lyueth helplees / and al desolat I speke of folk/ in seculer estat ¶ And herke why / I sey nat this for noght That womman is / for mannes helpe ywroght The hye god / whan he hadde Adam maked And seigh hym allone / bely naked God of his grete goodnesse seyde than¶ ffaciamus ei adiutorem / & ex[tracta costa de] corpore Ade fecit Euam / & dix[it pro vxore] relinquet homo patrem & matrem & [adherebit &c.] et erunt duo / in carne vna. Lat vs now make an help / vn-to this man Lyk to hym self and thanne he made hym Eue Here may ye see / and here may ye preeue That wyf is mannes helpe / and his confort His Paradys terrestre / and his disport So buxom / and so vertuous is she They moste nedes lyue in vnytee O flessh they been / and o flessh as I gessenotaVna caro vnum Animum in omni Adversitate cogitat/.[, in a later hand.] Hath but oon herte / in wele and in distressenota ¶ A wyf / a Seinte Marie benedicitee How myghte a man / han any aduersitee That hath a wyf / certes I kan nat seye The blisse / which þat is bitwix hem tweye Ther may no tonge telle / or herte thynke If he be poure / she helpeth hym to swynke She kepeth his good / and wasteth neuer a del Al that hir housbonde lust hir liketh wel She seith nat ones nay / whan he seith yee Do this seith he / al redy sire seith she ¶ O blisful ordre / o wedlok precious Thou art so murye / and eek so vertuous And so commended / and approued eek That any man / that halt hym worth a leek Vp on his bare knees / oghte al his lyf Thanken his god / that hym hath sent a wyf Or ellis preye to god / hym for to sende A wyf/ to laste vn to his lyues ende ffor thanne his lyf / is set in sikernesse He may nat be / deceyued / as I gesse So that he werke / after his wyues reed[? whether the next 4 lines are Chaucer's.] Thanne may he boldely / kepen vp his heed They been so trewe / and ther with al so wyse ffor which / if thow wolt werken as the wyse [Do alRats.]wey so / as wommen wol thee rede [LRats.]o how that Iacob / as thise clerkes rede¶ Iacob enim per consilium matris sue Rebecce &cetera. By good conseil / of his moder Rebekke Boond the kydes skyn / aboute his nekke ffor which / his fadres benyson he wan ¶ Lo Iudith / as the storie eek telle kan By good conseil / she goddes peple kepte And slow hym Olofernus / whil he slepteIudith &cetera / de manibus Oloferni. ¶ Lo Abigayl / by good conseil / how she¶ Et Abigail per suum bonum consilium / virum suum Nabal / ab ira dauid liberauit/. Saued hir housbonde Nabal / whan þat he Sholde han ben slayn / and looke Ester also¶ Ester &cetera Iudeos per bonum consilium simul cum Mardocheo in regno Assueri &cetera. By good conseil / delyuered out of wo The peple of god / and made hym Mardochee Of Assuere / enhaunced for to be ¶ Ther nys no thyng in gree superlatyf As seith Senec / aboue an humble wyf¶ Seneca / sicut nichil est superius benigna coniuge / ita nichil est crudelius infesta muliere. ¶ Suffre thy wyues tonge / as Caton byt She shal comaunde / and thow shalt suffren it /¶ Cato // vxoris linguam / si frugi est/ ferre memento/ And yet she wol obeye of curteisye ¶ A wyf / is kepere of thyn housbondrye Wel may the sike man / biwaille and wepe Ther as ther is no wyf/ the hous to kepe I warne thee / if wisly thow wolt wirche¶ Apostolus Paulus Ad Ephesianos // Diligite vxores vestras sicut christus dilexit ecclesiam &cetera. Loue wel thy wyf/ as Crist loued his chircheApostolus // Ita viri debent diligere vxores suas vt corpora sua / quia qui suam vxorem diligit se ipsum diligit/ nemo vnquam carnem suam odio habuit/ set nutrit & fouet eam / et ¶ postea / vnusquisque suam vxorem sicut ¶ se ipsum diligat. If thow louest thy self / thow louest thy wif No man hateth his flessh / but in his lyf/ He fostreth it and ther-fore bidde I thee Cherisse thy wyf or thow shalt neuere thee Housbonde and wyf what so men Iaye or pleye Of worldly folk/ holden the siker weye They been so knyt / ther may noon harm bityde And namely / vp on the wyues syde ffor which this Ianuarie / of whom I tolde Considered hath / inwith his dayes olde The lusty lyf / the vertuous quyete That is in mariage / hony swete And for his freendes / on a day he sente To tellen hem / theffect of his entente ¶ With face sad / this tale he hath hem told He seyde freendes / I am hoor and old And almoost god woot on my pittes brynke Vp on my soule / som what moste I thynke I haue my body / folily despended Blissed be god / þat it shal been amended ffor I wol be certeyn / a wedded man And that anon / in al the haste I kan Vn to som mayde / fair and tendre of age I pray yow / shapeth for my mariage Al sodeynly / for I wol nat abyde And I wol fonde / tespien on my side To whom I may / be wedded hastily But for as muche / as ye been mo than I. Ye shullen rather / swich a thing espien Than .I / and where me beste were to allien ¶ But o thyng warne I yow / my freendes deere I wol noon old wyf han / in no manere She shal nat passe / .xx. yer certeyn Old fissh / and yong flessh / wol I haue feyn Bet is quod he / a Pyk / than a Pykerel And bet than old boef / is the tendre vel I wol no womman / xxxti. yeer of age It is but bene straw / and greet forage And eek thise olde widwes / god it woot They konne so muche craft on Wades boot So muchel broken harm / whan hem leste That with hem / sholde I neuere lyue in reste ffor sondry scoles / maketh subtile clerkis Womman of many scoles / half a clerk is But certeinly / a yong thyng may men gye Right as men may warm wex / with handes plye Wherfore / I sey yow pleynly in a clause I wol noon old wyf han / right for this cause ffor if so were / I hadde swich meschaunce That I in hire / ne koude han no plesaunce Thanne sholde I lede my lyf / in avoutrye And go streight to the deuel / whan I dye Ne children sholde I none / vp on hir geten Yet were me leuere / houndes hadde me eten Than that myn heritage sholde falle In straunge hand / and this I telle yow alle [Rats.I d]ote nat/ I woot the cause why Men sholde wedde / and ferther moore woot I Ther speketh many a man of mariage That woot namoore of it/ than woot my page ffor whiche causes / man sholde take a wyf If he ne may nat lyue / chast his lyf Take hym a wyf/ with greet deuocion By cause / of leueful procreacion Of children / to thonour of god aboue And nat oonly / for paramour or loue And for they sholde / lecherye eschue And yelde hir dette / whan þat it is due Or for þat ech of hem / sholde helpen oother In meschief as a Suster shal the brother And lyue in chastitee / ful holily But sires by youre leue / that am nat I ffor god be thanked / I dar make auant I feele my lymes / stark and suffisant To do / al that a man bilongeth to I woot my self best what I may do ¶ Thogh I be hoor / I fare as dooth a tree¶ Nota That blosmeth / er the fruyt ywoxen be And blosmy tree / nys neither drye ne deed I feele me nowher hoor / but on myn heed Myn herte / and alle my lymes / been as grene As laurer thurgh the yeer is for to sene And syn þat ye han herd / al myn entente I pray yow / to my conseil ye wol assente ¶ Dyuerse men / diuersely hym tolde Of mariage / manye ensamples olde Somme blamed it somme preised it certeyn But at the laste / shortly for to seyn As alday / falleth altercacion Bitwixe freendes / in disputison Ther fil a stryf bitwix his bretheren two Of whiche / that oon was clepid Placebo Iustinus soothly / called was that oother ¶ Placebo seyde / o Ianuarie brother fful litel nede / hadde ye my lord so deere Conseil to axe / of any that is heere But þat ye been / so ful of Sapience That yow ne liketh / for youre heigh prudence To weyuen / fro the word of Salomon This word seyde he / vn to vs euerichon Werk alle thyng by conseil / thus seyde he And thanne shaltow nat repenten thee But thogh þat Salamon / spak swich a word Myn owene deere brother / and my lord So wisly / god my soule brynge at reste I holde / your owene conseil is the beste ffor brother myn / of me tak this motyf I haue now been / a Court man al my lyf And god it woot thogh I vnworthy be I haue stonden / in ful greet degree Abouten lordes / in ful greet estat Yet hadde I neuere / with noon of hem debat I neuere hem contraryed / trewely I woot wel / þat my lord kan moore than I What that he seith / I holde it ferm and stable I seye the same / or ellis thyng semblable A ful greet fool / is any conseillour That serueth any lord / of heigh honour That dar presume / or ellis thenken it That his conseil / sholde passe his lordes wit Nay / lordes be no fooles by my fay Ye han your seluen / shewed heer to day So heigh sentence / so holily and weel That I consente / and conferme euery deel Youre wordes alle / and youre opynyoun By god / ther nys no man in al this toun Ne in Ytaille / koude bet han ysayd Crist halt hym of this conseil / ful wel apayd And trewely / it is an heigh corage Of any man / that stapen is an age To take a yong wyf / by my fader kyn Youre herte hangeth / on a iolyf pyn Dooth now in this matere / right as yow leste ffor fynally / I holde it for the beste ¶ Iustinus / that ay stille sat and herde Right in this wise / he to Placebo answerde [NoRats.]w brother myn / be pacient I preye [SRats.]yn ye han seyd / and herkneth what I seye Senec amonges othere wordes wise Seith / þat a man / oghte hym right wel auyse To whom / he yeueth his lond / or his catel And syn I oghte / auysen me right wel To whom I yeeue my good / away fro me Wel muchel moore / I oghte auysed be To whom I yeeue my body / for alwey I warne yow wel / it is no childes pley To taken a wyf withouten auysement Men moste enquere / this is myn assent Wher she be wys and sobre / or dronkelewe Or proud/ or ellis oother weys a shrewe A chidester / or wastour of thy good Or riche / or poure / or ellis mannyssh wood Al be it so / þat no man fynden shal Noon in this world / that trotteth hool in al Ne man ne beest swich as men koude deuyse But nathelees / it oghte ynogh suffise With any wyf if so were þat she hadde Mo goode thewes / than hir vices badde And al this axeth leyser / for tenquere ffor god it woot I haue wept many a teere fful pryuely / syn þat I hadde a wyf Preyse who so wole / a wedded mannes lyf Certeyn I fynde in it but cost and care And obseruances / of alle blisses bare And yet god woot my neghebores aboute And namely / of wommen many a route Seyn þat I haue / the mooste stedefast wyf And eek the mekeste / that bereth lyf But I woot best where wryngeth me my sho Ye mowe for me / right as yow liketh do Auyseth yow / ye been a man of age How þat ye entren / in to mariage And namely / with a yong wyf and a feir By him þat made water / erthe and Eir The yongest man / þat is in al this route Is bisy ynow / to bryngen it aboute To han his wyf allone / trusteth me Ye shul nat plesen hire / fully yeres thre This is to seyn / to doon hire ful plesance A wyf axeth / ful many an obseruance I pray yow / þat ye be nat yuele apayd ¶ Wel quod this Ianuarie / and hastow y-sayd Straw for thy Senec and for thy prouerbes I counte nat/ a panyer ful of herbes Of Scole termes / wiser man than thow As thow hast herd / assenteden right now To my purpos / Placebo what sey ye ¶ I seye / it is a cursed man quod he That letteth matrymoigne sikerly And with that word / they risen sodeynly And been assented fully / that he sholde Be wedded whan hym liste / and wher he wolde ¶ Heigh fantasie / and curious bisynesse ffro day to day / gan in the soule impresse Of Ianuarie / aboute his mariage Many fair shape / and many a fair visage Ther passeth thurgh his herte / nyght by nyght As who so tooke a Mirour / polisshed bright And sette it in a commune Market place Thanne sholde he se / ful many a figure pace By his Mirour / and in the same wise Gan Ianuarie / in with his thoght deuyse Of maydens / whiche þat dwelten hym bisyde He wiste nat wher þat he myghte abyde ffor if þat oon / haue beautee in hir face Another stant so / in the peples grace ffor hir sadnesse / and hir benygnytee That of the peple / grettest voys hath she And somme were riche / and hadden badde name But nathelees / bitwene ernest and game He atte laste / apoynted hym on oon And leet alle othere / from his herte goon And chees hire / of his owene auctoritee ffor loue is blynd alday / and may nat see And whan that he / was in his bed ybroght He purtreyde / in his herte / and in his thoght [HirRats.] fresshe beautee / and hir age tendre [HRats.]ir myddel smal / hir armes longe and sklendre Hir wise gouernance / hir gentilesse Hir wommanly beryng and hir sadnesse And whan þat he on hire / was condescended Hym thoughte / his choys myghte nat ben amended ffor whan þat he hym self/ concluded hadde Hym thoughte / ech oother mannes wit was badde That impossible / it weere to replye Agayn his choys / this was his fantasie ¶ His freendes sente he to / at his instance And preyde hem / to doon hym that plesance That hastily / they wolden to hym come He wolde abregge hir labour alle and some Nedeth namoore / for hym to go ne ryde He was apointed / ther he wolde abyde ¶ Placebo cam / and eek his freendes soone And alderfirst he bad hem alle a boone That noon of hem / none argumentes make Agayn the purpos / which þat he hath take Which purpos / was plesant to god seyde he And verray ground / of his prosperitee ¶ He seyde / ther was a mayden in the toun Which þat of beautee / hadde greet renoun Al were it so / she were of smal degree Suffiseth hym / hir youthe and hir beautee Which mayde he seyde / he wolde han to his wyf To lede in ese / and holynesse his lyf And thanked god / þat he myghte han hire al That no wight his blisse parten shal And preyde hem / to labouren in this nede And shapen / þat he faille nat to spede ffor thanne he seyde / his Spirit was at ese Thanne is quod he / no thyng may me displese Saue o thyng priketh in my conscience The which I wol reherce in youre presence ¶ I haue quod he herd seyd / ful yoore ago Ther may no man / han parfite blisses two This is to seye / in erthe and eek in heuene ffor thogh he kepe hym / fro the synnes seuene And eek from euery branche / of thilke tree Yet is ther / so parfit felicitee And so greet ese / and lust in mariage That euere I am agast now in myn age That I shal lede now / so murye a lyf So delicat with outen wo and stryf That I shal han myn heuene / in erthe heere ffor sith þat verray heuene / is boght so deere With tribulacions / and greet penance How sholde I thanne / that lyue in swich plesance As alle wedded men / doon with hir wyuys Come to the blisse / that Crist eterne on lyue is This is my drede / and ye my bretheren tweye Assoileth me / this question I preye ¶ Iustinus which þat hated his folye Answerde anon / right in his iaperye And for he wolde / his longe tale abregge He wolde / noon auctoritee allegge But seide sire / so ther be noon obstacle Oother than this / god of his hye myracle And of his mercy / may so for yow werche That er ye haue / your right of holy cherche Ye may repente / of wedded mannes lyf In which ye seyn / ther is no wo ne stryf And ellis god forbede / but he sente A wedded man / hym grace to repente Wel ofte / rather than a sengle man And ther fore sire / the beste reed I kan Dispeire yow noght but haue in youre memorie Paraunter / she may be youre purgatorie She may be goddes mene / and goddes whippe Thanne shal your soule / vp to heuene skippe Swifter / than dooth an arwe / out of a bowe I hope to god / heer after ye shul knowe That ther nys / noon so greet felicitee In mariage / ne neuere mo shal be That yow shal lette / of youre saluacion So that ye vse / as skile is and reson The lustes of youre wyf / attemprely And þat / ye plese hire / nat to amorously [AnRats.]d that ye kepe yow eek / from oother synne My tale is doon / for my wit is thynne Beth nat agast her-of / my brother deere But lat vs waden / out of this matere The wyf of Bathe / if ye han vnderstonde Of mariage / which we han on honde Declared hath ful wel / in litel space ffareth now wel / god haue yow in his grace ¶ And with that word / this lustyn and his brother Han take hir leue / and ech of hem of oother ffor whan they sawe / þat it moste nedes be They wroghten so / by sly / and wys tretee That she this mayden / which that Mayus highte As hastily / as euer þat she myghte Shal wedded be / vn to this Ianuarie ¶ I trowe / it were to longe yow to tarye If I yow tolde / of euery scrit and bond By which / þat she was feffed / in his lond Or for to herknen / of hir riche array But finally / ycomen is that day That to the chirche / bothe be they went ffor to receyue / the holy sacrament ¶ fforth comth the preest with stoole aboute his nekke And bad hire be lyk / Sarra and Rebekke In wisdom / and in trouthe of mariage And seyde his orisons / as is vsage And croucheth hem / and bad / god sholde hem blesse And made al siker ynow / with holynesse ¶ Thus been they wedded / with solempnitee And at the laste / sitteth he and she With oother worthy folk / vp on the deys Al ful of ioye and blisse / is the paleys And ful of Instrumentz / and of vitaille The mooste deynteuous / of al Ytaille Bi-forn hem stoode swiche Instrumentz of swich soun That Orpheus / nof Thebes Amphioun Ne maden neuere / swich a melodye At euery cours / thanne cam loud mynstralcye That neuere tromped / Ioab / for to heere Ne he Theodomas / yet half so cleere At Thebes / whan the Citee was in doute Bacus / the wyn hem shenketh al aboute And Venus laugheth / vp on euery wight ffor Ianuarie / was bicome hir knyght And wolde / bothe assayen his corage In libertee / and eek in mariage And with hir firbrond / in hir hand aboute Daunceth bifore the bryde / and al the route And certeinly / I dar right wel seye this Ymeneus / that god of weddyng is Say neuere his lyf / so murye a wedded man Hoold thow thy pees / thou Poete Marcian That writest vs / that ilke weddyng murye Of hire Philologie / and he Mercurie And of the songes / that the Muses songe To smal / is bothe thy penne / and eek thy tonge ffor to discryuen / of this mariage Whan tendre youthe / hath wedded stoupyng age Ther is swich murthe / that it may nat be writen Assayeth it your self/ than may ye witen If that I lye or noon / in this matere ¶ Mayus that sit with so benygne a cheere Hir to biholde / it semed ffairye Queene Ester / looked neuere with swich an eye On Assuer / so meke a look hath she I may yow nat deuyse / al hir beautee But thus muche / of hir beautee / telle I may That she was lyk the brighte morwe of May ffulfild / of alle beautee and plesaunce ¶ This Ianuarie / is rauysshed in a traunce At euery tyme / he looked on hir face But in his herte / he gan hir to manace That he that nyght in armes wolde hir streyne Harder than euere / Parys dide Eleyne But nathelees / yet hadde he gret pitee That thilke nyght offenden hire moste he And thoghte allas / o tendre creature Now wolde god / ye myghte wel endure Al my corage / it is so sharpe and kene :I am agast ye shul it nat sustene [fforRats.] god forbede / that I dide al my myght Now wolde god / that it were woxen nyght And þat the nyght wolde laste euere mo I wolde / that al this peple were ago And fynally / he dooth al his labour As he best myghte / sauyng his honour To haste hem fro the mete / in subtil wise The tyme cam / þat reson was to rise And after that men daunce / and drynken faste And Spices / al aboute the hous they caste And ful of ioye and blisse / is euery man Al but a Squyer / highte Damyan Which carf biforn the knyght ful many a day He was so rauysshed / on his lady May That for the verray peyne / he was ny wood Almoost he swelte / and swowned as he stood So sore hath Venus / hurt hym with hir brond As that she baar it dauncyng in hir hond And to his bed / he wente hym hastily Namoore of hym / at this tyme speke .I But ther I lete hym / wepe ynow and pleyne Til fresshe May / wol rewen on his peyne ¶ O. perilous fyr / that in the bed straw bredethAuctor O. famulier foo / that his seruice bedeth O. seruant traytour / false homly hewe Lyk to the Neddre in bosom / sly vntrewe God shilde vs alle / from youre aqueyntance O Ianuarie / dronken in plesance In mariage / se how thy Damyan Thyn owene Squyer / and thy born man Entendeth / for to do thee vileynye God grante thee / thyn homly fo espye ffor in this world / nys worse pestilence Than homly fo / alday in thy presence ¶ Parfourned hath the sonne / his Ark diurne[Ar]ke diurne . quidam circulus [....] .. meto vocatur Zodiacus [...] .. sol cotidie cressit.[MS. leaf 145, back,in a later hand and faint ink.] No lenger / may the body of hym soiurne On thorisonte / as in that latitude Night with his mantel / that is derk and rude Gan ouersprede / Themysperies aboute ffor which / departed is / this lusty route ffor Ianuarie / with thank on euery syde Hom to hir houses / lustily they ryde Wher as they doon hir thynges / as hem leste And whan they say hir tyme / go to reste ¶ Soone after þat this hasty Ianuarie Wol go to bedde / he wol no lenger tarie He drynketh Ypocras / Clarree and Vernage Of Spices hoote / tencressen his corage And many a letuarie / hadde he ful fyn Swich as the cursed Monk/ daun Constantyn Hath writen / in his book De coitu To eten hem alle / he nas no thyng eschu And to his pryuee freendes / thus seyde he ffor goddes loue / as soone as it may be Lat voyden al this hous / in curteis wise And they han doon / right as he wol deuyse Men drynken / and the trauers drawe anon The bryde was broght a bedde / as stille as stoon And whan the bed / was with the preest yblessed Out of the chambre / hath euery wight hym dressed And Ianuarie / hath faste in armes take His fresshe May / his Paradys / his make He lulleth hire / he kisseth hire / ful ofte With thilke bristles / of his berd vnsofte Lyk to the Skyn of houndfyssh / sharpe as brere ffor he was shaue al newe / in his manere He rubbeth hire / aboute hir tendre face And seyde thus / allas I moot trespace To yow my Spouse / and yow gretly offende Er tyme come / þat I wol doun descende But natheles / considereth this quod he Ther nys no werkman / what so euere he be That may bothe / werke wel and hastily This wol be doon / at leyser parfitly It is no fors / how longe þat we pleye In trewe wedlok coupled be we tweye And blessed be the yok / þat we been Inne ffor in [oure] actes / we mow do no synne A man / may do no synne with his wyf Ne hurte hym seluen / with his owene knyf/ [fforRats.] we han leue / to pleye vs by the lawe Rats.[T]hus laboureth he / til that the day gan dawe And thanne / he taketh a sope in fyn Clarree And vp right in his bed / thanne sitteth he And after that he song ful loude and clere And kiste his wyf / and made wantown cheere He was al coltyssh / ful of ragerye And ful of Iargon / as a flekked pye The slakke skyn / aboute his nekke shaketh Whil þat he song/ so chaunteth he and craketh But god woot what þat may thoghte in hir herte Whan she hym saw / vp sittyng in his sherte In his nyght cappe / and with his nekke lene She preiseth nat his pleyyng worth a bene Thanne seyde he thus / my reste wol I take Now day is come / I may no lenger wake And doun he leyde his heed / and sleepe til pryme And afterward / whan þat he saw his tyme Vp riseth Ianuarie / but fresshe May Heeld hir chambre / vn to the fourthe day As vsage is of wyues / for the beste ffor euery labour / som tyme moot han reste Or ellis / longe may he nat endure This is to seyn / no lyues creature Be it fissh / or bryd / or beest or man Now wol I speke / of woful damyan That langwissheth for loue / as ye shul heere Ther fore / I speke to hym / in this manere ¶ I seye / o sely Damyan allasAuctor Answere to my demaunde / as in this cas How shaltow / to thy lady fresshe May Telle thy wo / she wol alwey sey nay Eek if thow speke / she wol thy wo biwreye God be thyn helpe / I kan no bettre seye This syke damyan / in Venus fyrvenus. God of loue./ So brenneth / that he dyeth for desyr[in a later hand.] ffor which / he putte his lyf in auenture No lenger myghte he / in this wise endure But priuely / a penner gan he borwe And in a lettre / wroot he al his sorwe In manere of a compleynt or a lay Vn to his faire / fresshe lady May And in a purs of sylk heng on his sherte He hath it put and leyd it at his herte ¶ The moone þat at Noon / was thilke day That Ianuarie / hath wedded fresshe May In two of Taur / was in to Cancre gliden So longe hath Mayus / in hir chambre abyden As custume is / vn to thise nobles alle A bryde / shal nat eten in the halle Til dayes foure / or thre dayes atte leeste Ypassed ben / thanne lat hir go to feste ¶ The fourthe day complet fro noon to noon Whan þat the heighe masse / was y-doon In halle / sit this Ianuarie and May As fressh / as in the brighte Someres day And so bifel / how that this goode man Remembred hym / vp on this Damyan And seyde / Seynte Marie how may it be That Damyan / entendeth nat to me Is he ay syk / or how may this bityde ¶ Hys Squyers / whiche þat stooden ther bisyde Excused hym / by cause of his siknesse Which letted hym / to doon his bisynesse Noon oother cause / myghte make hym tarye ¶ That me forthynketh / quod this Ianuarye He is a gentil Squyer / by my trouthe If þat he deyde / it were harm and routhe He is as wys / discret and eek secree As any man / I woot of his degree And ther-to manly / and eek seruysable And for to be a thrifty man / right able But after mete / as soone as euere I may I wol my self visite hym / and eek May To do hym / al the confort þat I kan And for that word / hym blessed euery man That of his bountee / and his gentilesse He wolde so / conforten in siknesse His Squyer / for it was a gentil dede ¶ Dame quod this Ianuarie / tak good hede [At afRats.]ter mete / ye with youre wommen alle [WhRats.]an ye han ben in chambre / out of this halle [TRats.]hat alle ye go / to this Damyan Dooth hym disport he is a gentil man And telleth hym / þat I wol hym visite Haue I no thyng but rested me a lite And spede yow faste / for I wol abide Til that ye slepe / faste by my syde And with that word / he gan to hym to calle A Squier / that was Marchal of his halle And tolde hym certein thynges / what he wolde ¶ This fresshe May / hath streight hir wey yholde With alle hir wommen / vn to Damyan Doun by his beddes syde / sit she than Confortyng hym / as goodly as she may ¶ This Damyan / whan þat his tyme he say In secree wise / his purs and eek his bille In which / þat he ywriten hadde his wille Hath put in to hir hand / with oute moore Saue þat he siketh / wonder depe and soore And softely to hire / right thus seyde he Mercy / and þat ye nat discouere me ffor I am deed / if þat this thyng be kyd This purs hath she / in with hir bosom hyd And wente hir wey / ye gete namoore of me But vn to Ianuarie / ycomen is she That on his beddes syde / sit ful softe And taketh hire / and kisseth hire ful ofte And leyde hym doun to slepe / and that anon She feyned hire / as þat she moste gon Ther as ye woot that euery wight moot nede And whan she of this bille / hath taken hede She rente it al to cloutes / at the laste And in the pryuee / softely it caste ¶ Who studieth now / but faire fresshe May Adoun / by olde Ianuarie she lay That sleepe / til þat the coghe hath hym awaked Anon he preyde / strepen hire al naked He wolde of hire he seyde / han som plesance He seyde / hir clothes / dide hym encombrance And she obeyeth / be hir lief or looth But lest þat precious folk / be with me wrooth How þat he wroghte / I dar nat to yow telle Or wheithir / it thoughte Paradys / or helle But heere I lete hem werken / in hir wise Til euensong rong and þat they moste arise Were it by destynee / or by auenture Were it by Influence / or by nature Or constellacion / that in swich estat The heuene stood / that tyme fortunat As for to putte a bille / of Venus werkes ffor alle thyng hath tyme / as seyn thise clerkes To any womman / for to gete hir loue I kan nat seye / but grete god aboue That knoweth / þat noon Act is causelees He deme of al / for I wol holde my pees ¶ But sooth is this / how þat this fresshe May Hath taken / swich impression that day Of pitee / on this syke Damyan That from hir herte / she ne dryue kan The remembrance / for to doon hym ese Certeyn thoghte she / whom þat this thyng displese I rekke nat for here I hym assure To loue hym best of any creature Thogh he namoore hadde / than his sherte Loo / pitee renneth soone / in gentil herte ¶ Heere may ye se / how excellent franchise In wommen is / whan they hem narwe auyse Som tirant is / as ther be many oon That hath an herte / as hard as is a stoon Which wolde / han leten steruen / in the place Wel rather / than han graunted hym hir grace And hem reioysen / in hir cruel pryde And rekke nat to been an homycide ¶ This gentil May / fulfilled of pitee Right of hir hand / a lettre maked she In which she graunteth hym / hir verray grace Ther lakketh noght oonly / but day and place Wher that she myghte / vn to his lust suffise ffor it shal be / right as he wol deuyse [AndRats.] whan she saw hir tyme / vp on a day [ToRats.] visite this Damyan / goth May And subtilly / this lettre doun she threste Vnder his pilwe / rede it if hym leste She taketh hym by the hand / and harde hym twiste So secrely / that no wight of it wiste And bad hym be al hool / and forth she wente To Ianuarie / whan þat he for hir sente ¶ Vp riseth Damyan / the nexte morwe Al passed was / his siknesse and his sorwe He kembeth hym / he prayneth hym and pyketh He dooth / al that his lady lust and lyketh And eek to Ianuarie / he goth as lowe As euer dide / a dogge for the bowe He is so plesant vn to euery man ffor craft is al / who so þat do it kan That euery wight is fayn to speke hym good And fully / in his ladyes grace he stood Thus lete I Damyan / aboute his nede And in my tale / forth I wol procede ¶ Somme clerkes / holden þat felicitee Stant in delit and therfore certeyn he This noble Ianuarie / with al his myght In honeste wise / as longeth to a knyght Shoope hym to lyue / ful deliciously His housyng his array / as honestly To his degree / was maked / as a kynges Amonges othere / of his honeste thynges He made a gardyn / walled al with stoon So fair a gardyn / woot I nowher noon ffor out of doute / I verraily suppose That he / þat wroot the Romance of the Rose Ne koude of it the beautee wel deuyse Ne Priapus / ne myghte nat suffise Thogh he be god of gardyns / for to telle The beautee / of the gardyn and the welle That stood vnder a laurer / alwey grene fful ofte tyme / he Pluto and his queene Proserpina / and al hir ffairye Disporten hem / and maken melodye Aboute that welle / and daunced as men tolde This noble knyght this Ianuarie the olde Swich deyntee hath / in it to walke and pleye That he wol no wight suffre bere the keye Saue he hym self for of the smal wyket He bar alwey / of siluer a Clyket With which / whan þat hym leste / he it vnshette And whan he wolde / paye his wyf hir dette In somer seson / thider wolde he go And May his wyf/ and no wight but they two And thynges / whiche þat were nat doon abedde He in the gardyn / parfourned hem and spedde And in this wise / many a murye day Lyued this Ianuarie / and fresshe May But worldly ioye / may nat alwey dure To Ianuarie / ne to no creature ¶ O. sodeyn hape / o. thow ffortune vnstableAuctor Lyk to the Scorpion / so deceyuable That flaterest with thyn heed / whan thow wolt stynge Thy tayl is deeth / thurgh thyn enuenymynge O. brotil ioye / o. swete venym queynte O. Monstre / that so subtilly kanst peynte Thy yiftes / vnder hewe of stedefastnesse That thow deceyuest bothe moore and lesse Why hastow Ianuarie / thus deceyued That haddest hym / for thy fulle freend receyued And now thow hast biraft hym / bothe his eyen ffor sorwe of which / desireth he to dyen Allas / this noble Ianuarie free Amydde his lust and his prosperitee Is woxen blynd / and that al sodeynly He wepeth / and he waileth pitously And ther with al / the fyr of Ialousye Lest that his wyf/ sholde falle in som folye So brente his herte / þat he wolde fayn That som man / bothe hire and hym had slayn ffor neither after his deeth / ne in his lyf Ne wolde he / þat she were loue ne wyf But euere lyue as wydwe / in clothes blake Soul as the turtle / that lost hath hir make [BuRats.]t atte laste / after a Monthe or tweye [HRats.]is sorwe gan aswage / sooth to seye ffor whan he wiste / it may noon oother be He paciently / took his aduersitee Saue out of doute / he may nat forgoon That he nas Ialous / euere moore in oon Which Ialousye / it was so outrageous That neither in halle / ne in noon oother hous Ne in noon oother place / neuer the mo He nolde suffre hire / for to ryde or go But if þat he / hadde hond on hir alway ffor which ful ofte / wepeth fresshe May That loueth Damyan / so benygnely That she moot outher dyen sodeynly Or ellis / she moot han hym as hir leste She wayteth / whan hir herte wolde breste ¶ Vp on that oother syde / Damyan Bicomen is / the sorwefulleste man That euere was / for neither nyght ne day Ne myghte he speke a word to fresshe May As to his purpos / of no swich matere But if þat Ianuarie / moste it heere That hadde an hand / vp on hire euere mo But nathelees / by writyng to and fro And pryuee signes / wiste he what she mente And she knew eek / the fyn of his entente ¶ O· Ianuaire / what myghte it thee auaille Thow myghtest se / as fer as Shippes saille ffor as good / is blynd deceyued be As to be deceyued / whan a man may se Lo Argus / which þat hadde an hundred eyen ffor al that euere / he koude poure or pryen Yet was he blent and god woot so been mo That weneth wisly / that it be nat so Passe ouer is an ese / and sey namoore ¶ This fresshe May / that I spak of so yoore In warm wex / hath printed the Clyket That Ianuarie bar / of that smale wyket By which / in to his gardyn / ofte he wente And Damyan / that knew al his entente The Clyket countrefeted pryuely Ther nys namoore to seye / but hastily Som wonder / by this Cliket shal bityde Which ye shal heren / if ye wol abyde ¶ O noble Ouyde / wel sooth seistow god woot What sleighte is it/ thogh it be long and hoot That he nel fynde it out in som manere By Pyramus and Thesbe / may men lere Thogh they were kept ful longe / streyte ouer al They been acorded / rownyng thurgh a wal Ther no wight koude / han founde out swich a sleighte But now to purpos / er that dayes eighte Were passed / er the Monthe of Iuyl bifille That Ianuarie / hath caught so greet a wille Thurgh eggyng of his wyf/ hym for to pleye In his gardyn / and no wight but they tweye That in a morwe / vn to his May seith he Rys vp my wyf/ my loue / my lady free The Turtles voys is herd / my dowue swete The wynter is goon / with reynes wete Com forth now / with thyne eyen Columbyn How fairer been thy brestes / than is wyn The gardyn / is enclosed al aboute Com forth my white spouse / out of doute Thow hast me wounded in myn herte / O wyf No spot of thee / ne knew I al my lyf Com forth / and lat vs taken oure desport I chees thee / for my wyf/ and my confort ¶ Swiche olde lewed wordes / vsed he On Damyan / a signe made she That he sholde go biforn / with his Clyket This Damyan thanne / hath opned the wyket And in he stirte / and that in swich manere That no wight myghte it se / neither yheere And stille he sit / vnder a bussh anon ¶ This Ianuarie / as blynd as is a stoon With Mayus in his hand / and no wight mo In to his fresshe gardyn / is ago And clapte to / the wyket sodeynly Now wyf quod he / here nys but thow and .I. [ThRats.]at art the creature / that I best loue ffor by that lord / that sit in heuene aboue Leuere ich hadde / to dyen on a knyf Than thee offende / trewe deere wyf ffor goddes sake / thenk how I thee chees Noght for no coueitise doutelees But oonly / for the loue I hadde to thee And thogh þat I be old / and may nat see Beth to me trewe / and I wol telle yow why Thre thynges certes / shal ye wynne ther by ¶ ffirst loue of Crist and to your self honour And al myn heritage / toun and tour I yeue it yow / maketh chartres as ye leste This shal be doon to morwe / er sonne reste So wisly / god my soule / brynge in blisse I pray yow first in couenant ye me kisse And thogh þat I be Ialous / wyt me noght Ye been so depe / emprinted in my thoght That whan þat I / considere youre beautee And ther with al / the vnlikly elde of me I may noght certes / thogh I sholde dye fforbere / to been out of youre compaignye ffor verray loue / this is with outen doute Now kys me wyf and lat vs rome aboute ¶ This fresshe May / whan she thise wordes herde Benygnely / to Ianuarie answerde But first and forward / she bigan to wepe I haue quod she / a soule for to kepe As wel as ye / and also myn honour And of my wifhod / thilke tendre flour Which þat I haue / assured in youre hond Whan þat the preest to yow my body bond Wher fore / I wol answere in this manere By the leue of yow / my lord so deere I pray to god / þat neuere dawe the day That I ne sterue / as foule as womman may If euere I do / vn to my kyn that shame Or ellis / I empeyre so my name That I be fals / and if I do that lakke Do strepe me / and put me in a sakke And in the nexte Ryuer / do me drenche I am a gentil womman / and no wenche Why speke ye thus / but men been euere vntrewe And wommen haue reproue / of yow ay newe Ye han / noon oother contenance I leue But speke to vs / of vntrust and repreue ¶ And with that word / she saw wher Damyan Sat in the bussh / and coghen she bigan And with hir fynger / signes made she That Damyan / sholde clymbe vp on a tree That charged was with fruyt and vp he wente ffor verraily / he knew al hir entente And euery signe / þat she koude make Wel bet than Ianuarie / hir owene make ffor in a lettre / she hadde told hym al Of this matere / how he werken shal And thus I lete hym sitte / vp on the purye And Ianuarie and May / romynge murye ¶ Bright was the day / and blew the firmament Phebus hath of gold / his stremys doun ysent To gladen euery flour / with his warmnesse He was that tyme / in Geminis as I gesse But litil / fro his declynacion Of Cancer / Iouis exaltacion And so bifel / that brighte morwe tyde That in that gardyn / in the ferther syde Pluto / that is the[the later] kyng of ffairye And many a lady / in his compaignye ffolwynge his wyf / the queene Proserpyne 2Whos answere hath doon many a man pyne2[2_2 in a later hand] ¶ Whil that she gadrede / floures in the mede In Claudyan / ye may the stories rede How in his grysly Carte / he hir sette This kyng of ffairye / thanne adown hym sette Vp on a bench of turues / fressh and grene And right anon / thus seyde he to his queene ¶ My wyf quod he / ther may no wight sey nay Thexperience / so proueth euery day The treson / which þat womman dooth to man Ten hundred thousand / tellen I kan [NRats.]otable / of youre vntrouthe and brotelnesse O Salomon wys / and richest of richesse ffulfild of Sapience / and of worldly glorie fful worthy been thy wordes / to memorie To euery wight that wit and reson kan Thus preyseth he yet the bontee of man ¶ Amonges a thousand men / yet foond I oon But of wommen alle / foond I noon ¶ Thus seith the kyng þat knoweth youre wikkednesse And Ihesus filius Syrak as I gesse Ne speketh of yow / but selde reuerence A wilde fyr / and corrupt pestilence So falle vp on youre bodyes / yet to nyght Ne se ye noght this honurable knyght By cause allas / þat he is blynd and old His owene man / shal make hym Cokewold Lo where he sit the lechour in the tree Now wol I graunten / of my magestee Vn to this olde / blynde worthy knyght That he shal haue ayein / his eyen syght Whan þat his wyf wolde doon hym vileynye Thanne shal he knowen / al hir harlotrye Bothe in repreue of hire / and othere mo ¶ Ye shal quod Proserpyne / wol ye so Now by my modres sires soule / I swere That I shal yeuen hire / suffisant answere And alle wommen after / for hir sake That thogh they be / in any gilt ytake With face bold / they shul hem self excuse And bere hem doun / that wolde hem accuse ffor lakke of answere / noon of hem shal dyen Al hadde man seyn a thyng with bothe his eyen Yet shal we wommen / visagen it hardily And wepe and swere / and chide subtilly So that ye men / shul been as lewed as gees What rekketh me / of youre auctoritees ¶ I woot wel / þat this Iew / this Salomon ffand of vs wommen / folyes many oon But thogh þat he / ne fand no good womman Yet hath ther founde / many another man Wommen ful trewe / ful goode and vertuous Witnesse on hem / that dwelle in Cristes hous With martirdom / they proued hir constaunce The Romayn geestes / eek maken remembraunce Of many a verray / trewe wyf also But sire ne be nat wrooth / al be it so Thogh þat he seyde / he foond no good womman I pray yow / taak the sentence of the man He mente thus / þat in souerayn bontee Nys noon but god / but neither he ne she ¶ Ey for verray god / that nys but oon What make ye / so muche of Salomon What thogh / he made a temple goddes hous What thogh he were riche and glorious So made he eek/ a temple / of false goddys How myghte he do a thyng þat moore forbode is Pardee / as faire / as ye his name emplastre He was a lechour / and an ydolastre And in his elde / he verray god forsook And if god ne hadde / as seith the book Yspared hym / for his fadres sake / he sholde Haue lost his regne / rather than he wolde I sette right noght of al the vileynye That ye of wommen write / a Boterflye I am a womman / nedes moot I speke Or ellis swelle / til myn herte breke ffor sithen he seyde / þat we been Iangleresses As euere hool / I mote brouke my tresses I shal nat spare / for no curteisye To speke hym harm / þat wolde vs vileynye ¶ Dame quod this Pluto / be no lenger wrooth I yeue it vp / but sith I swoor myn ooth That I wolde graunten hym / his sighte ayein My word shal stonde / I warne yow certeyn I am a kyng it sit me noght to lye ¶ And I quod she / a queene of ffairye Hir answere shal she haue / I vndertake Lat vs namoore wordes / her of make ffor sothe / I wol no lenger yow contrarie ¶ Now lat vs / turne agayn to Ianuarie [ThRats.]at in the gardyn / with his faire May Syngeth ful murier / than the Papeiay Yow loue I best and shal and oother noon So longe / aboute the Aleyes is he goon Til he was come / agayns thilke pirye Wher as this Damyan / sitteth ful myrye An heigh / among the fresshe leues grene ¶ This fresshe May / that is so bright and shene Gan for to syke / and seyde allas my syde Now sire quod she / for aught þat may bityde I moste han / of the perys þat I se Or I moot dye / so sore longeth me To eten / of the smale perys grene Help for hir loue / þat is of heuene queene I telle yow wel / a womman in my plit May han to fruyt/ so gret an appetit That she may dyen / but she of it haue ¶ Allas quod he / þat I ne hadde here a knaue That koude clymbe / allas allas quod he ffor I am blynd / ye sire no fors quod she ¶ But wolde ye / vouche sauf / for goddes sake The pirye inwith youre armes / for to take ffor wel I woot þat ye mystruste me Thanne sholde I clymbe / wel ynow quod she So I my foot myghte sette vp on youre bak ¶ Certes quod he / ther on shal be no lak Mighte I yow helpen / with myn herte blood He stoupeth doun / and on his bak she stood And caughte hir by a twiste / and vp she goth Ladys I pray yow / þat ye be nat wroth I kan nat glose / .I a rude man And sodeynly / anon this Damyan Gan pullen vp the smok / and in he throng ¶ And whan þat Pluto / saugh this grete wrong To Ianuarie / he yaf agayn his sighte And made hym see / as wel as euere he myghte And whan that he / hadde caught his sighte agayn Ne was ther neuere man / of thyng so fayn But on his wyf/ his thoght was euere mo Vn to the tree / he caste his eyen two And say þat Damyan / his wyf had dressed In swich manere / it may nat ben expressed But if I wolde speken / vncurteisly And vp he yaf/ a roryng and a cry As dooth the moder / whan the child shal dye Out help / allas / harrow / he gan to crye O. stronge lady stoore / what dostow ¶ And she answerde / sire what eyleth yow Haue pacience and reson / in youre mynde I haue yow holpe / on bothe youre eyen blynde Vp peril of my soule / .I shal nat lyen As me was taught to heele with youre eyen Was no thyng bet to make yow to se Than strugle with a man / vp on a tree God woot I dide it in ful good entente ¶ Strugled quod he / ye algate In it wente God yeue yow bothe / on shames deth to dyen He swyued thee / I saw it with myne eyen And ellis / be I hanged by the hals ¶ Thanne is quod she / my medicyne al fals ffor certeinly / if þat ye myghte se Ye wolde nat seyn / thise wordes vn to me Ye han som glymsynge / and no parfit sighte ¶ I se quod he / as wel as euere I myghte Thonked be god / with bothe myne eyen two And by my trouthe / me thoughte he dide thee so ¶ Ye maze maze / goode Sire quod she This thank haue I / for I haue maad yow se Allas quod she / þat euere I was so kynde Now dame quod he / lat al passe out of mynde Com doun my lief/ and if I haue myssayd God help me so / as I am yuele apayd But by my fadres soule / I wende haue seyn How þat this Damyan / hadde by thee leyn And þat thy Smok / hadde leyn vp on his bryst ¶ Ye sire quod she / ye may wene as yow lyst But sire / a man that waketh out of his sleepe He may nat sodeynly / wel taken keepe Vp on a thyng ne seen it parfitly Til that he be / adawed verraily [Rats.Rig]ht so a man / that longe hath blynd ybe [Rats.N]e may nat sodeynly / so wel yse ffirst whan his sighte / is newe come ageyn As he þat hath / a day or two yseyn Til þat youre sighte / ysatled be a while Ther may ful many a sighte yow bigile Beth war I pray yow / for by heuene kyng fful many a man / weneth to se a thyng And it is al another / than it semeth He þat mysconceyueth / he mysdemeth And with that word / she lepte doun fro the tree ¶ This Ianuarie / who is glad but he He kisseth hire / and clippeth hire ful ofte And on hir wombe / he stroketh hire ful softe And to his Palays / hom he hath hire lad Now goode men / I pray yow to be glad Thus endeth here / my tale of Ianuarie God blesse vs / and his moder Seinte Marie . Amen. ¶ Here is ended the Marchantes tale / of Ianuarie ¶ Here folwen the Wordes of the Worthy Hoost to the ffrankeleyn.

[Blank of ten lines in the MS.]

 Ey goddes mercy / seyde oure Hoost tho Now swich a wyf / I prey god kepe me fro Lo whiche sleightes / and subtiltees In wommen ben / for ay as bisy as bees Ben they / vs sely men for to deceyue And from a sooth / euere wol they weyue By this Marchantes tale / it preueth weel But doutelees / as trewe as any steel I haue a wyf / thogh þat she poore be But of hir tonge / a labbyng shrewe is she And yit she hath / an heep of vices mo Ther-of no fors / lat alle swiche thynges go But wite ye what in conseil be it seyd Me reweth soore / I am vn to hire teyd ffor and I sholde / rekenen euery vice Which þat she hath / ywis I were to nyce And cause why / it sholde reported be And toold to hire / of somme of this meynee Of whom? / it nedeth nat for to declare Syn wommen / konnen oute swich chaffare And eek my wit/ suffiseth nat ther to To tellen al / wher-fore my tale is do[No break in the MS.] GROUP F. FRAGMENT VII. § 1. THE SQUIRE'S HEAD-LINK. HENGWRT MS. ¶ Sire ffrankeleyn / com neer/ if it youre wille be[on lf 153] And sey vs a tale / for certes ye konnen ther on / as muche as any man ¶ Nay sire quod he / but I wol seye as I kan [Rats.W]ith hertly wyl / for I wol nat rebelle Agayns youre wyl / a tale wol I telle Haue me excused / if þat I speke amys My wyl is good / and lo my tale is this.¶ Explicit. ¶ Here bigynneth the ffrankeleyns tale[on leaf 153, bk] [THE PROEM.] THise olde gentil Britons / in hir dayes Of diuerse auentures / maden layes Rymeyed / in hir firste Briton tonge Whiche layes / with hir Instrumentz they songe Or ellis redden hem / for hire plesance And oon of hem / haue I in remembrance Which I shal seyn / with good wyl as I kan ¶ But sires / by cause I am a burel man At my bigynnyng first I yow biseche Haue me excused / of my rude speche I lerned neuere / Rethorik certeyn Thyng þat I speke / It moot be bare and pleyn I sleepe neuere / in the Mount of Parnaso Ne lerned / Marcus Tullius Scithero¶ Vnde Persius ¶ Nec f[onte] caballino .. . parnaso meme. Colours ne knowe I none / with outen drede But swiche colours / as growen in the mede Or ellis swiche / as men dye / or peynte Colours of Rethoryk they ben to queynte My Spirit feeleth nat of swich matere But if yow list my tale shul ye heere [THE TALE.] IN Armorik that called is Britayne¶ Narrat Ther was a knyght þat louede & dide his payne To serue a lady / in his beste wise And many a labour / many a gret emprise He for his lady wroghte / er she were wonne ffor she was / oon the faireste vnder Sonne And eek ther to / come of so heigh kynrede That wel vnnethes / dorste this knyght for drede Telle hire his wo / his peyne / and his distresse But atte laste / she for his worthynesse And namely / for his meke obeysance Hath swich a pitee caught of his penance That priuely / she fel of his acord To taken hym / for hir housbonde & hir lord Of swich lordshipe / as men han ouer hir wyues And for to lede / the moore in blisse hir lyues Of his fre wyl / he swoor hire as a knyght That neuere in al his lyf he day ne nyght Ne sholde vp on hym take / no maistrye Agayn hir wyl / ne kothe hire Ialousye But hire obeye / and folwe hir wyl in al As any louere / to his lady shal Saue / þat the name of soueraynetee That wolde he haue / for shame of his degree ¶ She thonked hym / and with ful gret humblesse She seyde sire / sith of youre gentillesse Ye profre me / to haue so large a reyne Ne wolde neuere god / bitwix vs tweyne As in my gilt/ were outher werre / or stryf Sire I wol be / youre humble trewe wyf Haue heer my trouthe / til that myn herte breste Thus been they bothe / in quiete and in reste [fforRats.] o thyng sires / saufly dar I seye [T]hat freendes / euerich oother moote obey If they wol longe holden compaignye Loue wol nat be constreyned by maistrye Whan maistrie comth / the god of loue anon Beteth his wynges / and farwel he is gon Loue is a thyng as any spirit free Wommen of kynde / desiren libertee And nat to been constreyned / as a thral And so doon men / if I sooth seyn shal Looke / who þat moost/ is pacient in loue He is / at his auantage al aboue Pacience / is an heigh vertu certeyn ffor it venquysseth / as thise clerkes seyn Thynges / that rigour sholde neuere atteyne ffor euery word / men may nat chide or pleyne Lerneth to suffre / or ellis so moot I gon Ye shul it lerne / wher so ye wole or non ffor in this world / certeyn ther no wight is That he ne dooth / or seith som tyme amys Ire / siknesse / or constellacion Wyn / wo / or chaungyng of complexion Causeth ful ofte / to doon amys or speken On euery wrong a man may nat be wreken After the tyme / moste be temperaunce To euery wight þat kan on gouernaunce And therfore / hath this wise worthy knyght/ To lyue in ese / suffrance hire bihight And she to hym / ful wisly gan to swere That neuere / sholde ther be defaute in here ¶ Here may men seen / an humble wys acord Thus hath she take / hir seruant and hir lord Seruant in loue / and lord in mariage Thanne was he bothe / in lordshipe & seruage Seruage nay / but in lordshipe aboue Sith he hath / bothe his lady and his loue His lady certes / and his wyf also The which / þat lawe of loue acordeth to And whan he was / in this prosperitee Hom with his wyf he gooth to his contree Nat fer fro Pedmark ther his dwellyng was Wher as he lyueth / in blisse and in solas ¶ Who koude telle / but he hadde wedded be The ioye / the ese / and the prosperitee That is / bitwix an housbonde / and his wyf A yeer and moore / lasted this blisful lyf Til þat the knyght of which I speke of thus That of Kairrud / was clepid Arueragus Shoope hym to goon / and dwelle a yeer or twayne In Engelond / that clepid was ek Britayne To seke in armes / worshipe and honour ffor al his lust he sette in swich labour And dwelled ther two yeer / the book seith thus ¶ Now wol I stynte / of this Arueragus And speke I wole / of Dorigene his wyf That loueth hir housbonde / as hir hertes lyf ffor his absence / wepeth she and siketh As doon thise noble wyues / whan hem liketh She moorneth / waketh / waileth / fasteth / pleyneth Desir of his presence / hir so destreyneth That al this wide world / she set at noght Hir freendes whiche þat knowe / hir heuy thoght Conforten hire / in al that euer they may They prechen hire / they telle hire nyght and day That causelees / she sleeth hir self allas And euery confort possible in this cas They doon to hire / with al hir bisynesse Al for to make hire / leue hir heuynesse ¶ By proces / as ye knowen euerichoon Men may so longe / grauen in a stoon Til som figure / ther Inne emprinted be So longe / han they conforted hire / til she Receyued hath / by hope and by reson The emprintyng of hir consolacion Thurgh which / hir grete sorwe gan aswage She may nat alwey / duren in swich rage ¶ And eek Arueragus / in al this care Hath sent hire lettres hom / of his welfare And that he wole / come hastily agayn Or ellis hadde this sorwe / hir herte slayn [HireRats.] freendes sawe hir sorwe gan to slake [Rats.An]d preyde hire on knees / for goddes sake To come / and romen hire in compaignye Awey to dryue / hir derke fantasye And finally / she graunted that requeste ffor wel she saw / þat it was for the beste ¶ Now stood hir Castel / faste by the See And often / with hir freendes walketh she Hir to disporte / vp on the bank an heigh Wher as she / many a Shipe and Barge seigh Seillynge hir cours / wher as hem liste go But thanne was that a parcel of hir wo ffor of hir self/ ful ofte allas seith she Is ther no shipe / of so manye as I se Wol bryngen hom my lord / thanne were myn herte Al warisshed / of hise bittre peynes smerte ¶ Another tyme / there wolde she sitte and thynke And caste hir eyen / downward fro the Brynke But whan she seigh / the grisly Rokkes blake ffor verray fere / so wolde hir herte quake That on hir feet she myghte hir noght sustene Thanne wolde she / sitte adoun vp on the grene And pitously / in to the See biholde And seyn right thus / with sorweful sikes colde ¶ Eterne god / that thurgh thy purueiance Ledest the world / by certeyn gouernance In ydel as men seyn / ye no thyng make But lord / thise grisly / feendly Rokkes blake That semen rather / a foul confusion Of werk / than any fair creacion Of swich a parfit wys god and a stable Why han ye wroght this werk vnresonable ffor by this werk South / North / ne west ne Est Ther nys yfostred / man / ne bryd / ne beest It doth no good to my wit but anoyeth Se ye nat lord / how mankynde it destroyeth An hundred thousand bodies / of mankynde Han Rokkes slayn / al be they nat in mynd Which mankynde / is so fair part of thy werk That thow it madest lyk to thyn owen merk Thanne semed it ye hadde a greet chiertee Toward mankynde / but how thanne may it be That ye swiche menes make / it to destroyen Whiche menes do no good / but euere anoyen I woot wel / clerkes wol seyn as hem leste By argumentz / that al is for the beste Thogh I ne kan / the causes nat yknowe But thilke god / þat made wynd to blowe As kepe my lord / this my conclusion To clerkes / lete I al disputison But wolde god / þat alle thise Rokkes blake Were sonken in to helle / for his sake Thise Rokkes sleen myn herte / for the feere Thus wolde she seyn / with many a pitous teere ¶ Hir freendes sawe / that it was no disport To romen by the See / but disconfort And shopen / for to pleyen / som wher ellys They leden hire / by Ryuers and by wellys And eek in othere places delitables They dauncen / and they pleyen at Ches & tables ¶ So on a day / right in the morwe tyde Vn to a gardyn / that was ther bisyde In which / that they hadde maad hir ordinance Of vitaille / and of oother purueiance They goon and pleye hem / al the longe day And this was / on the sixte morwe of May Which may hadde peynted / with his softe shoures This gardyn / ful of leues / and of floures And craft of mannes hond / so curiously Arrayed hadde / this gardyn trewely That neuere was ther gardyn / of swich prys But if it were / the verray Paradys The odour of floures / and the fresshe sight Wolde han maked / any herte lighte That euere was born / but if to greet siknesse Or to greet sorwe / helde it in destresse So ful it was / of beautee with plesaunce At after dyner / gonne they to daunce And synge also / saue Dorigen allone Which made alwey / hir compleynt and hir mone [Rats.ffo]r she ne saugh hym / on the daunce go That was hir housbonde / and hir loue also But nathelees / she moste a tyme abyde And with good hope / lete hir sorwe slyde ¶ Vp on this daunce / amonges othere men Daunced a Squier / bifore Dorigen That fressher was / and Iolier of array As to my doom / than is the Monthe of May He syngeth / daunceth / passyng any man That is / or was / sith þat the world bigan Ther with he was / if men sholde hym discryue Oon of the beste farynge man / on lyue Yong strong right vertuous / and riche and wys And wel biloued / and holden in gret prys And shortly / if the sothe I tellen shal Vnwityng of this Dorigen at al This lusty Squier / seruant to Venus Which / that yclepid was Aurelius Hadde loued hire / best of any creature Two yeer and moore / as was his auenture But neuere dorste he tellen hire / his greuance With outen coppe / he drank al his penance He was despeyred / no thyng dorste he seye Saue in his songes / som what wolde he wreye His wo / as in a general compleynyng He seyde he louede / and was biloued no thyng Of which matere / made he many layes Songes / compleyntes / roundels / vyrelayes How þat he dorste nat his sorwe telle But langwissheth / as a fuyre dooth in helle And dye he moste he seyde / as dide Ekko ffor Narcisus / that dorste nat telle hir wo In oother manere / than ye heere me seye Ne dorste he nat to hire / his wo biwreye Saue that parauenture / som tyme at daunces Ther yong folk / kepen hir obseruaunces It may wel be / he looked on hir face In swich a wise / as man þat asketh grace But no thyng wiste she / of his entente Nathelees it happed / er they thennes wente ¶ By cause / that he was / hir neghebour And was a man / of worshipe and honour And hadde yknowen hym / of tyme yoore They fille in speche / and forth moore and moore Vn to this purpos / drough Aurelius And whan he saugh his tyme / he seyde thus ¶ Madame quod he / by god that this world made So þat I wiste / it myghte youre herte glade I wolde that day / þat youre Arueragus Wente ouer the See / that I Aurelius Hadde went/ ther neuere I sholde haue come agayn ffor wel I woot my seruyce is in vayn My gerdon is / but brestyng of myn herte Madame reweth / vp on my peynes smerte ffor with a word / ye may me sle or saue Here at youre feet god wolde þat I were graue I ne haue as now / no leyser moore to seye Haue mercy swete / or ye wol do me deye ¶ She gan to looke / vp on Aurelius Is this youre wil quod she / and sey ye thus Neuere erst quod she / ne wiste I what ye mente But now Aurelie / I knowe youre entente By thilke god / that yaf me soule and lyf Ne shal I neuere / been vntrewe a wyf In word ne werk as fer as I haue wyt I wol been hys / to whom þat I am knyt Taak this for fynal / as of me But after that in pleye thus seyde she ¶ Aurelie quod she / by heighe god aboue Yet wolde I graunte yow / to been youre loue Syn I yow se / so pitously complayne Looke what day / þat endelong Britayne Ye remoeue alle the Rokkes / stoon by stoon That they ne lette / shipe ne Boot to goon I seye / whan ye han maad / the coost so clene Of Rokkes / that ther nys no stoon ysene Thanne wol I loue yow / best of any man Haue heer my trouthe / in al that euere I kan ¶ Is ther noon oother grace / in yow quod he ¶ No by that lord quod she / that maked me [fforRats.] wel I woot that it shal neuere bityde [Rats.L]at swiche folies / out of youre herte slyde What deyntee / sholde a man han his lyf ffor to loue / another mannes wyf That hath hir body / whan so that hym liketh ¶ Aurelius / ful ofte soore siketh Wo was Aurelie / whan þat he this herde And with a sorweful herte / he thus answerde ¶ Madame quod he / this were an inpossible Thanne moot I dye / of sodeyn deth horrible And with that word / he turned hym anon Tho coome / hir othere freendes many oon And in the Aleyes / romeden vp and doun And no thyng wiste / of this conclusioun But sodeynly / bigonne reuel newe Til that the brighte sonne / loste his hewe ffor thorisonte / hath reft the Sonne his light This is as muche to seye / as it was nyght And hom they goon / in ioye and in solas Saue oonly / wrecched Aurelius allas He to his hous is goon / with sorweful herte He seeth / he may nat from his deeth asterte Hym semed / that he felte his herte colde Vp to the heuene / hise hondes he gan holde And on his knowes bare / he sette hym doun And in his rauynge / seyde his orisoun ffor verray wo / out of his wit he breyde He nyste what he spak but thus he seyde With pitous herte / his pleynt hath he bigonne Vn to the goddes / and first vn to the sonne ¶ He seyde Appollo / god and gouernour Of euery plaunte / herbe / tree / and flour That yeuest after thy declynacion To ech of hem / his tyme and his seson As thyn herberwe / chaungeth / lowe or heighe Lord Phebus / cast thy merciable eighe On wrecche Aurelie / which þat am but lorn Lo lord / my lady hath my deeth ysworn With outen gilt but thy benygnytee Vp on my dedly herte / haue som pitee ffor wel I woot lord Phebus / if yow lest/ Ye may me helpen / saue my lady best Now voucheth sauf / þat I may yow deuyse How þat I may been holpe / and in what wyse ¶ Youre blisful Suster / lueyna the shene That of the See / is chief goddesse and queene Thogh Neptunus / haue deitee in the See Yet Empiresse / abouen hym is she Ye knowen wel lord / that right as hir desir Is / to be quyked / and lighted of youre fyr ffor which / she folweth yow / ful bisily Right so the See / desireth naturelly To folwen hire / as she þat is goddesse Bothe in the See / and Ryuers moore and lesse Wherfore lord Phebus / this is my requeste Do this myracle / or do myn herte breste That now next/ at this opposicion Which in the signe / shal be of the Lion As preyeth hire / so greet a flood to brynge That fyue fadme at the leeste / it ouer sprynge The hyeste Rok in Armoryk Britayne And lat this flood / endure yeris twayne Thanne certes / to my lady / may I seye Holdeth youre heste / the Rokkes been aweye ¶ Lord Phebus / dooth this myracle for me Pray hire / she go no faster cours than ye I seye this / prayeth youre Suster / þat she go No faster cours than ye / thise yeris two Thanne shal she been euene / at the fulle alway And spryng flood lasten / bothe nyght and day And but she vouche sauf/ in swich manere To graunte me / my souerayn lady deere Pray hire / to synken euery Rok/ adown In to / hir owene dirke Regioun Vnder the ground / ther Pluto dwelleth Inne Or neuere mo / shal I my lady wynne Thy temple in Delphos / wol I barfoot seke Lord Phebus / Se the teerys on my cheke And of my peyne / haue som compassioun And with that word / in swowne he fil adoun [AndRats.] longe tyme / he lay forth in a traunce [Rats.H]is brother / which that knew of his penaunce Vp caughte hym / and to bedde he hath hym broght Despeired / in this torment and this thoght Lete I / this woful creature lye Chese he for me / wher he wol lyue or dye ¶ Arueragus / with heele / and greet honour As he þat was / of Chiualrie the flour Is comen hom / and othere worthy men O blisful artow now / thow dorigen That hast thy lusty housbonde / in thyn armes The fresshe knyght the worthy man of armes That loueth thee / as his owene hertes lyf No thyng list hym / to been ymagynatyf If any wight hadde spoke / whil he was oute To hire of loue / he ne hadde of it no doute He noght entendeth / to no swich matere But daunceth / Iusteth / maketh hir good cheere And thus in ioye and blisse / I lete hem dwelle And of the Syke Aurelius / wol I telle ¶ In langour / and in torment furyus Two yeer and moore / lay wrecche Aurelius Er any foot he myghte on erthe gon Ne confort in this tyme / hadde he non Saue of his brother / which þat was a Clerk He knew of al this wo / and al this werk ffor / to noon oother creature certeyn Of this matere / he dorste no word seyn Vnder his brist he baar it moore secree Than euere dide Panfilus / for Galathee His brist was hool / with oute for to sene But in his herte / ay was the arwe kene And wel ye knowe / þat of a Sursanure In Surgerye / is perilous the cure But men myghte touche the arwe / or come therby His brother / weepe and wayled pryuely Til at the laste / hym fil in remembrance That whils he was / in Orliens in ffrance As yonge clerkes / that been lykerous To reden Artes / that been curious Seken / in euery halke / and euery herne Particuler Sciences / for to lerne He hym remembred / þat vp on a day At Orliens in Studie / a book he say Of Magyk naturel / which his felawe That was that tyme / a Bachiler of lawe Al were he ther / to lerne another craft Hadde priuely / vp on his desk ylaft Which book spak muchel / of the operacions Touchynge / the .xxviij. mansions That longen to the Moone / and swich folye As in oure dayes / is nat worth a flye ffor holy chirches feith / in oure bileue Ne suffreth / noon illusion vs to greue And whan this book was in his remembrance Anon for ioye / his herte gan to dance And to hym self / he seyde pryuely My brother / shal be warisshed hastily ffor I am siker / þat ther be sciences By whiche / men make diuerse apparences Swiche / as thise subtile / Tregettours pleye ffor ofte at festes / haue I wel herd seye That Tregettours / with Inne an halle large Haue maad come In / a water / and a barge And in the halle / rowen vp and doun Som tyme hath semed / come a grym leoun And som tyme floures sprynge / as in a mede Som tyme a vyne / and grapes white and rede Som tyme a Castel / al of lym and Stoon And whan hem lyked / voyded it anoon Thus semed it to euery mannes sighte ¶ Now thanne conclude I thus / þat if I myghte At Orliens / som old felawe yfynde That hadde / this Moones mansions in mynde Or oother Magyk naturel aboue He sholde wel / make my brother han his loue ffor with an apparence / a clerk may make To mannes sighte / þat alle the Rokkes blake Of Britaigne / were yvoyded euerichon And Shippes / by the brynke / comen and gon [AndRats.] in swich forme / enduren a day or two Thanne were my brother / warisshed of his wo Thanne moste she nedes / holden hir biheste Or ellis / he shal shame hire / at the leeste ¶ What sholde I make / a lenger tale of this Vn to his brotheres bed / he comen is And swich confort he yaf hym for to gon To Orliens / that he vp stirte anon And on his wey forthward / thanne he is fare In hope / for to been lissed of his care ¶ Whan they were come / almoost to that Citee But if it were / a two furlong or thre A yong clerk / romynge by hym self they mette Which þat in latyn / thriftily hem grette And after that/ he seyde a wonder thyng I knowe quod he / the cause of youre comyng And er they ferther / any foote wente He tolde hem / al that was in hir entente ¶ This Briton clerk hym asked of felawes The whiche þat he hadde knowe / in olde dawes And he answerde hym / þat they dede were ffor which / he weepe ful ofte many a teere ¶ Doun of his hors / Aurelius lighte anon And with this Magicien / forth he is gon Hom to his hous / and maden hem wel atese Hem lakked no vitaille / þat myghte hem plese So wel arrayed hous / as ther was oon Aurelius in his lyf / saw neuere noon ¶ He shewed hym / er he wente to soper fforestes / Parkes / ful of wilde deer Ther saw he hertes / with hir hornes hye The gretteste / þat euere were seyn with eye He say of hem / an hundred slayn with houndes And somme with arwes blede / of bittre woundes ¶ He saw / whan voyded were thise wilde deer Thise ffawconers / vp on a fair Ryuer That with hir hawkes / han the heron slayn ¶ Tho saugh he knyghtes / Iustyng in a playn And after this / he dide hym this plesaunce That he hym shewed / his lady on a daunce On which hym self / he daunced as hym thoughte And whan this maister / þat this magyk wroughte Saugh it was tyme / he clapte his handes two And farwel / al our reuel was ago And yet remoeued they neuere / out of the hous Whil they sawe / al this sighte merueillous But in his studie / ther as his bookes be They sitten stille / and no wight but they thre ¶ To hym this maister / called his Squyer And seide hym thus / is redy oure soper Almoost an houre it is / I vndertake Sith I yow bad / oure soper for to make Whan that thise worthy men / wenten with me In to my studie / ther as my bookes be ¶ Sire quod this Squyer / whan it liketh yow It is al redy / thogh ye wol right now Go we thanne soupe quod he / as for the beste This amorous folk som tyme mote han hir reste ¶ At after soper / fille they in tretee What somme sholde / this Maistres gerdon be To remoeuen / alle the Rokkes of Britayne And eek from Gerounde / to the mouth of Sayne He made it straunge / and swoor so god hym saue Lasse than a thousand pound / he wolde nat haue Ne gladly for that somme / he wolde nat gon ¶ Aurelius / with blisful herte anon Answerde thus / fy on a thousand pound This wyde world / which þat men seye is round I wolde it yeue / if I were lord of it This bargayn is ful dryue / for we ben knyt Ye shal be payed trewely / by my trouthe But looketh now / for no necligence or slouthe Ye tarie vs heer / no lenger than tomorwe ¶ Nay quod this clerk haue heer my feith to borwe ¶ To bedde is goon Aurelius / whan hym leste And wel neigh al that nyght/ he hadde his reste What for his labour / and his hope of blisse His woful herte / of penaunce hadde a lisse ¶ Vp on the morwe / whan þat it was day To Britayne / tooke they the righte way [1Aur]elius / and this Magicien bisydeRats. And been descended / ther they wolde abyde And this was / as thise bookes me remembre The colde / frosty seson of decembre ¶ Phebus wax old / and hewed lyk laton That in his hote declynacion Shoon as the burned gold / with stremys brighte But now in Capricorn / adoun he lighte Where as he shoon ful pale / I dar wel seyn The bittre frostes / with the sleet and reyn Destruyed hath the grene / in euery yerd Ianus sit by the fyr / with double berd¶ Ianus biceps. And drynketh / of his bugle horn the wyn Biforn hym stant brawen / of the tusked swyn And Nowel / crieth euery lusty man ¶ Aurelius / al þat euere he kan Dooth to this maister / cheere & reuerence And preyeth hym / to doon his diligence To bryngen hym / out of his peynes smerte Or with a swerd / þat he wolde slytte his herte ¶ This subtil clerk swich routhe hadde of this man That nyght and day / he spedde hym that he kan To wayten a tyme / of his conclusion This is to seyn / to make illusion By swich an apparence / or Iogelrye I ne kan / no termes of Astrologye That she and euery wight sholde wene and seye That of Britayne / the Rokkes were aweye Or ellis / were sonken vnder grounde So at the laste / he hath his tyme yfounde To maken his Iapes / and his wrecchednesse Of swich / a supersticious cursednesse His tables tolletanes / forth he broght fful wel corrected / ne ther lakked noght Neither his collect ne his expans yeris Ne hise rootes / ne hise othere geris As been his centris / and hise argumentz And hise proporcionels conuenientz ffor hise equacions / in euery thyng And by his .8. speere / in his wirkyng He knew ful wel / how fer Alnath was shoue ffro the heed / of thilke fixe Aries aboue That in the .9. speere / considered is fful subtilly/ he kalkuled al this ¶ Whan he hadde founde / his firste mansion He knew the remenaunt by proporcion And knew the arisyng of his Moone wel And in whos face / and terme / and euery del And knew ful wel / the Moones mansion Acordaunt / to his operacion And knew also / hise othere obseruaunces ffor swiche illusions / and swiche meschances As hethen folk vseden / in thilke dayes ffor which no lenger / maked he delayes But thurgh his magyk for a wyke or tweye It semed/ that alle the Rokkes were aweye ¶ Aurelius / which þat yet despeired is Wher he shal han his loue / or fare amys Awaiteth nyght and day / on this myracle And whan he knew / that ther was noon obstacle That voyded were / thise Rokkes euerichon Doun to his maistres feet he fil anon And seyde / I woful wrecche Aurelius Thonke yow lord / and lady myn Venus That me han holpen / fro my cares colde And to the temple / his wey forth hath he holde Wher as he knew / he sholde his lady se And whan he saw his tyme / anon right he With dredful herte / and with ful humble cheere Salued hath / his souerayn lady deere ¶ My righte lady / quod this woful man Whom I moost drede / and loue as I best kan And lothest were / of al this world displese Nere it þat I for yow haue swich disese That I moste dyen heer/ at youre foot anon Noght wolde I telle yow / how me is wo bigon But certes / outher moste I dye / or pleyne Ye sleen me giltlees / for verray peyne But of my deeth / thogh þat ye haue no routhe Auyseth yow / er that ye breke your trouthe [Rats.Repen]teth yow / for thilke god aboue Er ye me sleen / by cause that I yow loue / ffor madame / wel ye woot what ye han hight Nat þat I chalange / any thyng of right Of yow my souereyn lady / but youre grace But in a gardyn yond / at swich a place Ye woot right wel / what ye bihighten me And in myn hand / your trouthe plighten ye To loue me best god woot ye seyden so Al be / þat I vnworthy am ther to Madame I speke it / for the honour of yow Moore than to saue / myn hertes lyf right now I haue do so / as ye comaunded me And if ye vouche sauf / ye may go se Dooth as yow list haue youre biheste in mynde ffor quyk/ or deed / right ther ye shal me fynde In yow lyth al / to do me lyue or deye But wel I woot the Rokkes been aweye ¶ He taketh his leue / and she astoned stood In al hir face / nas a drope of blood She wende neuere haue come / in swich a trappe Allas quod she / þat euere this sholde happe ffor wende I neuere / by possibilitee That swich a Monstre / or merueille myghte be It is agayns / the proces of nature And hom she gooth / a sorweful creature ffor verray feere / vnnethe may she go She wepeth / wayleth / al a day or two And swowneth / that it routhe was to se But why it was / to no wight tolde she ffor out of towne / was goon Arueragus But to hir self/ she spak and seyde thus With face pale / and with ful sorweful cheere In hir compleinte / as ye shal after heere ¶ Allas quod she / on thee ffortune I pleyne That vnwar / wrapped hast me in thy cheyne ffor which tescape / woot I no socour Saue oonly / deeth / or deshonour Oon of thise two / bihoueth me to chese But nathelees / yet haue I leuere to lese My lyf / than of my body to haue a shame/ Or knowen my seluen fals / or lese my name And with my deeth / I may be quyt ywis Hath ther nat many a noble wyf er this And many a mayde / yslayn hir self allas Rather / than with hir body doon trespas ¶ Yis certes / lo thise stories beren witnesse Whan .xxx. tirauntz / ful of cursednesse Hadde slayn Phidon / in Atthenes atte feste¶ 30a Atheniensium tiranni [cum Phidonem] necassent/ in conuiuio filia[s eius virgi]nes ad se venire iusserunt/ & s[cotorum mo]re nudari / ac super pauimentu[m patris] sanguine cruentatas inpudicis ge[stibus] ludere / que paulisper dissimulato [dolo]re / cum tumulentos conuiuas cerneren[t] quasi ad requisita nature egredientes inuicem se complexe precipi|tauerun[t] in puteum vt virginitate morte seruaren[t]. They comaunded / his doghtren for tareste And bryngen hem / biforn hem in despit Al naked / to fulfille hir foul delit And in hir fadres blood / they made hem daunce Vp on the pauement god yeue hem meschaunce ffor which / thise woful maydens / ful of drede Rather / than they wolde lese hir maydenhede They pryuely / been stirt in to a welle And dreynte hem seluen / as the bokes telle ¶ They of Mecene / leete enquere and seke Of Lacedomye / fifty maydens eke On whiche / they wolden doon hir lecherye But was ther noon / of al that compaignye That she nas slayn / and with a good entente Chees rather for to dye / than assente To been oppressed / of hir maydenhede Why sholde I thanne / to dye been in drede ¶ Loo eek / the tiraunt Aristoclides That loued a mayden / highte Stymphalides Whan þat hir fader / slayn was on a nyght Vn to Dianes temple / gooth she right And hente the ymage / in hir handes two ffro which ymage / wolde she neuere go No wight ne myghte / hir handes of it arace Til she was slayn / right in the selue place Now sith þat maydens / hadden swich despit¶ Singulas has historias & plur[es] hanc materiam concernentes reci[tat] beatus Ieronimus contra Iouini|an[um] in primo suo libro, capitulo .39. To been defouled / with mannes foul delit Wel oghte a wyf/ rather hir seluen sle Than be defouled / as it thynketh me ¶ What shal I seyn / of Hasdrubales wyf That at Cartage / birafte hir self hir lyf [fforRats.] whan she saw / that Romayns wan the town [Rats.S]he took hir children alle / and skipte adown In to the fyr / and chees rather to dye Than any Romayn / dide hire vileynye ¶ Hath nat Lucresse / yslayn hir self allas At Rome / whan she oppressed was Of Tarquyn / for hir thoughte it was a shame To lyuen / whan she hadde lost hir name ¶ The .vij. maydens / of Milesie also Han slayn hem self/ for verray drede and wo Rather than folk/ of Gawle / hem sholde oppresse Mo than a thousand stories / as I gesse Koude I now telle / as touchyng this matere ¶ Whan habradace was slayn / his wyf so deere Hir seluen slow / and leet hir blood to glyde In Habradaces woundes / depe and wyde And seyde / my body / at the leeste way Ther shal no wight defoulen if I may ¶ What sholde I mo ensamples / her of sayn Sith that so manye / han hem seluen slayn Wel rather / than they wolde defouled be I wol conclude / that it is bet for me To sleen my self than ben defouled thus I wol be trewe / vn to Arueragus Or rather sle my self in som manere As dide / democienis doghter deere By cause / þat she wolde nat defouled be ¶ O Cedasus / it is ful gret pitee To reden / how thy doghtren deyde allas That slowe hem self for swich maner cas ¶ As greet a pitee was it or wel moore The Theban mayden / that for Nychanore Hir seluen slow / right for swich manere wo ¶ Another Theban mayden / dide right so ffor oon of Macedonye / hadde hire oppressed She with hir owene deeth / hir maydenhed redressed ¶ What shal I seyn / of Nyceratis wyf That for swich cas / birafte hir self hir lyf ¶ How trewe eek / was to Alcebiades His loue / that rather for to dyen chees Than for to suffre / his body vnburyed be ¶ Lo which a wyf / was Alceste quod she ¶ What Omer / of goode Penolopee Al Grece / knoweth of hir chastitee ¶ Pardee of Laodomya / is writen thus That whan at Troye / was slayn Protheselaus No lenger wolde she lyue / after his day ¶ The same / of noble Porcia telle I may With oute Brutus / koude she nat lyue To whom she hadde / al hool hir herte yeue ¶ The parfit wifhod / of Arthemesye Honoured is / thurgh al the Barbarye ¶ O Teuta queene / thy wifly chastitee To alle wyues / may a Mirour bee [. . . . .[Not in Reg. 18 C ii, lf 154, bk; or Sloane 1685, lf 155, bk; or Harl. 1758, lf 135; or Harl. 7335, lf 151, bk; or Harl. 7333, lf 85 bk, col. 2; or Sloane 1686, lf 205; or Reg. 17 D xv, lf 188, bk (leaf out of Harl. 1239). Not in any Cambr. or Bodl. MS, or Christ|Church.] . . . . .no gap in the MS.] ¶ Thus pleyned Dorigene / a day or tweye Purposynge euere þat she wolde deye ¶ But nathelees / vp on the thridde nyght Hom cam Arueragus / this worthy knyght And asked hire / why þat she weepe so soore And she gan wepen / euer lenger the moore ¶ Allas quod she / þat euere was I born Thus haue I seyd quod she / thus haue I sworn And tolde hym al / as ye han herd bifore It nedeth nat reherce it yow namoore ¶ This housbond with glad cheere / in frendly wise Answerde and seyde / as I shal yow deuyse ¶ Is ther oght ellis dorigen / but this ¶ Nay nay quod she / god help me so as wys This is to muche / and it were goddes wille ¶ Ye wyf quod he / lat slepen that is stille It may be wel perauenture / yet to day Ye shul youre trouthe holden / by my fay ffor god so wisly / haue mercy vp on me I hadde wel leuere / ystiked for to be ffor verray loue / which þat I to yow haue But if ye sholde / youre trouthe kepe and saue Trouthe is the hyeste thyng þat man may kepe But with that word / he brast anon to wepe And seyde I yow forbede / vp peyne of deeth That neuere whil thee lasteth / lyf ne breeth [To noRats.] wight tel thow / of this auenture [AsRats.] I may best / I wol my wo endure Ne make / no contenance of heuynesse That folk of yow / may demen harm or gesse ¶ And forth he clepyd / a Squyer and a mayde Goth forth anon with Dorigen / he sayde And bryngeth hire / to swich a place anon They toke hir leue / and on hir wey they gon But they ne wiste / why they thider wente He nolde to no wight tellen his entente [. . . . .[Not in Reg. 18 C ii, leaf 155, or Sloane 1685, lf 156,or Harl. 7335, lf 152, or Harl. 1758, lf 135; bk; or Harl. 7333, lf 86 col. 1; or Sloane 1686, lf 205 bk; or Reg. 17 D xv, lf 189; leaf out of Harl. 1239. l. 1493-8 known only in the Ellesmere MS.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .no gap in the MS. ¶ This Squyer / which þat highte Aurelius On Dorigen / þat was so amorus Of auenture / happed hir to meete Amydde the town / right in the quykkest strete As she was boun / to goon the wey forth right Toward the gardyn / ther as she had hight And he was / to the gardynward also ffor wel he spyed / whan she wolde go Out of hir hous / to any maner place But thus they meete / of auenture or grace And he salueth hire / with glad entente And asked of hire / whiderward she wente ¶ And she answerde / half as she were mad Vn to the gardyn / as myn housbond bad My trouthe for to holde / allas / allas ¶ Aurelius / gan wondren on this cas And in his herte / hadde greet compassion Of hire / and of hir lamentacion And of Arueragus / the worthy knyght That bad hir holden / al that she had hight So looth hym was / his wyf sholde breke hir trouthe And in his herte / he caughte of this greet routhe Considerynge the beste / on euery syde That fro his lust yet were hym leuere abyde Than doon so heigh / a cherlyssh wrecchednesse Agayns franchise / and alle gentillesse ffor which in fewe wordes / seyde he thus ¶ Madame / seyeth to youre lord Arueragus That sith I se / his grete gentillesse To yow / and eek I se wel youre distresse That hym were leuere han shame / and that were routhe Than ye to me / sholde breke thus your trouthe I haue wel leuere / euere to suffre wo Than I departe the loue / bitwix yow two I yow relesse madame / in to youre hond Quyt euery serement and euery bond That ye han maad to me / as her biforn Sith thilke tyme / which þat ye were born My trouthe I plighte / I shal you neuer repreue Of no biheeste / and here I take my leue As of the treweste / and the beste wyf That euere yet I knew / in al my lyf But euery wyf / be war of hir biheste On Dorigene / remembreth at the leste Thus kan a Squyer / doon a gentil dede As wel as kan a knyght with outen drede ¶ She thonketh hym / vp on hir knees al bare And hom vn to hir housbond / is she fare And tolde hym al / as ye han herd me sayd And be ye siker / he was so wel apayd That it were inpossible / me to write What sholde I lenger / of this cas endite ¶ Arueragus / and Dorigene his wyf In souereyn blisse / leden forth hir lyf Neuere eft ne was ther angre hem bitwene He cherisseth hire / as thogh she were a queene And she was to hym trewe / for euere moore Of thise two folk/ ye gete of me namoore ¶ Aurelius / that his cost hath al forlorn Curseth the tyme / that euere he was born Allas quod he / allas that I bihighte Of pured gold / a thousand pound of wighte Vn to this Philosophre / how shal I do I se namoore / but that I am for-do Myn heritage / moot I nedes selle And been a beggere / here may I nat dwelle And shamen al my kynrede / in this place But I of hym / may gete bettre grace But nathelees / I wol of hym assaye At certeyn dayes / yeer by yeer to paye [AndRats.] thonke hym / of his grete curteisye [Rats.M]y trouthe wol I kepe / I nel nat lye ¶ With herte soor / he gooth vn to his cofre And broghte gold / vn to this Philosophre The value / of fyue hundred pound I gesse And hym bisecheth / of his gentillesse To graunten hym dayes / of the remenant And seyde Maister / I dar wel make auant I fayled neuere / of my trouthe as yit ffor sikerly / my dette shal be quyt Towardes yow / how euere þat I fare To goon abegged / in my kirtel bare But wolde ye vouche sauf vp on seuretee Two yeer or thre / for to respiten me Thanne were I wel / for ellis moot I selle Myn heritage / ther is namoore to telle ¶ This Philosophre / sobrely answerde And seyde thus / whan he thise wordes herde Haue I nat holden couenant vn to thee ¶ Yis certes / wel and trewely quod he ¶ Hastow nat had / thy lady as thee liketh ¶ No no quod he / and sorwefully he siketh ¶ What was the cause / tel me if thow kan ¶ Aurelius / his tale anon bigan And tolde hym al / as ye han herd bifore It nedeth nat to yow reherce it moore ¶ He seyde / Arueragus / of gentillesse Hadde leuere dye / in sorwe and in distresse Than þat his wyf/ were of hir trouthe fals The sorwe of dorigen / he tolde hym als How looth hir was / to ben a wikked wyf And þat she leuere had lost that day hir lyf And þat hir trouthe / she swoor thurgh Innocence She neuere erst hadde herd speke / of apparence That made me han of hire / so greet pitee And right as frely / as he sente hir me As frely sente I hire / to hym agayn This al and som / ther is namoore to sayn ¶ This Philosophre answerde / leeue brother Euerich of yow / dide gentilly til oother Thow art a Squyer / and he is a knyght But god forbede / for his blisful myght But if a clerk koude doon a gentil dede As wel as any of yow / it is no drede ¶ Sire I relesse thee / thy thowsand pound As thow right now / were cropen out of the ground Ne neuere er now / ne haddest knowen me ffor sire / I wol nat take a peny of thee ffor al my craft ne noght for my trauaille Thow hast ypayed wel / for my vitaille It is ynogh / and fare wel haue good day And took his hors / and forth he goth his way ¶ Lordynges / this question / than wol I aske now Which was the mooste free / as thynketh yow Now telleth me / er that ye ferther wende I kan namoore / my tale is at an ende ¶ Here endeth the ffrankeleyns tale.[No more text on this page of the MS.] GROUP G. FRAGMENT VIII. § 1. THE SECOND NUN'S TALE. HENGWRT MS. [THE PROEM.] The Nonne;,[head-line] (1) THe Ministre / and the norice vn to vices Which that men clepeth in englissh ydelnesse That porter at the gate is / of delices To eschuen / and by hir contrarie hire oppresse That is to seyn / by leueful bisynesse Wel oghte we / to doon al oure entente Lest that the feend / thurgh ydelnesse vs hente (2) ¶ ffor he / that with his thousand cordes slye Continuelly / vs wayteth to biclappe Whan he may man / in ydelnesse espye He kan so lightly / cacche hym in his trappe Til that a man / be hent right by the lappe He nys nat war / the feend hath hym in honde Wel oghte vs werche / and ydelnesse withstonde (3) ¶ And thogh men dradden / neuere for to dye Yet seen men wel / by reson doutelees That ydelnesse / is roten slogardye Of which ther neuere comth / no good nencrees And seen that Slouthe / hir holdeth in a lees Oonly for to slepe / and ete and drynken And to deuouren / al that othere swynken (4) ¶ And for to putte vs / from swich ydelnesse That cause is / of so greet confusion I haue here doon / my feithful bisynesse After the legende / in translacion Right of thy glorious lyf/ and passion Thow with thy gerland / wroght of rose & lilie Thee mene I / mayde and martir Seinte Cecilie (5) And thow / that flour of virgines art alleInuocacio ad mariam. Of whom that Bernard / list so wel to write To thee / at my bigynnyng I first calle Thow confort of vs wrecches / do mendite Thy maydens deeth / that wan thurgh hir merite The eternal lyf/ and of the feend victorie As man may after / reden in hir Storie (6) ¶ Thow mayde and moder / doghter of thy sone Thow welle of mercy / synful soules cure In whom that god / for bountee chees to wone Thow humble and heigh / ouer euery creature Thow nobledest so ferforth oure nature That no desdaign / the makere hadde of kynde His sone / in blood & flessh / to clothe & wynde (7) ¶ With Inne the Cloistre blisful / of thy sydis Took mannes shape / the eternal loue and pees That of the tryne compas / lord and gyde is Whom erthe and see / and heuene out of relees Ay heryen / and thow virgyne wemmeles Bar of thy body / and dweltest mayde pure The creatour / of euery creature (8) Assembled is in thee Magnificence With mercy / goodnesse / and swich pitee That thow that art the sonne of excellence Nat oonly / helpest hem þat prayen thee But ofte tyme / of thy benygnytee fful frely / er that men / thyn helpe biseche Thow goost biforn / and art hir lyues leche (9) Now help thow meke / and blisful faire mayde Me flemed wrecche / in this desert of galle Thynk on the womman Cananee / that sayde That whelpes eten / somme of the crommes alle That from hir lordes table / been yfalle And thogh that I / vnworthy sone of Eue Be synful / yet accepte my bileue (10) ¶ And for that feith is deed / with outen werkis So for to werken / yif me wit and space That I be quyt/ from thennes / that moost derk is O thow / that art so fair / and ful of grace Be myn Aduocate / in that heighe place Ther as with outen ende / is songe Osanne Thow cristes moder / doghter deere of Anne (11) [Rats.An]d of thy light my soule in prison lighte That troubled is / by the contagion Of my body / and also by the wighte Of erthely lust and fals affeccion O. hauene / o. refut o. sauacion Of hem / that been in sorwe and in distresse Now help / for to my werk I wol me dresse (12) ¶ Yet praye ich yow / þat reden that I write fforyeue me / that I do no diligence This ilke storie / subtilly tendite ffor bothe haue I / the wordes and sentence Of hym / that at the Seintes reuerence The storie wroot and folwen hir legende And pray yow / that ye wol my werk amende (13) [THE TALE.] First wolde I yow / the name of Seinte CecilieInterpretacio nominis Cecilie quam ponit fra|ter lacobus· Ia|nuensis in le|genda. aurea. Expowne / as men may in hir storie se It is to seyn on englissh / heuenes lilie ffor pure chastnesse / of virginitee Or for she whitnesse hadde of honestee And grene of conscience / and of good fame The swote sauour lilie / was hir name (14) ¶ Or Cecile is to seyn / the wey to blynde ffor she ensample was / by good techynge Or ellis Cecile / as I writen fynde Is ioyned / by a manere conioignynge Of heuene / and lia / and here in figurynge The heuene is set for thoght of holynesse And lia / for hir lastynge bisynesse (15) ¶ Cecile may eek be seyd in this manere Wantynge of blyndnesse / for hir grete light Of Sapience / and for hir thewes clere Or ellis lo / this maydenes name bright Of heuene and leos comth / for which by right Men myghte hire wel / the heuene of peple calle Ensample of goode / and wise werkes alle (16) ¶ For leos / peple in englissh is to seye And right as men may / in the heuene see The sonne and moone / and sterres euery weye Right so men goostly / in this mayden free Sayen / of feith / the magnanymytee And eek the cleernesse hool of Sapience And sondry werkes / brighte of excellence (17) ¶ And right so / as thise Philosophres write That heuene is swift and round / & eek brennynge Right so / was faire Cecile the white fful swift and bisy / euere in good werkynge And round & hool / in good perseuerynge And brennyng/ euere in charite / ful brighte Now haue I yow declared / what she highte (18) This mayde bright Cecilie / as hir lyf seithCecilia virgo clarissima. Was come of Romayns / and of noble kyndegregorius in registro [Epist.] libro .10. Ad Eulogium patriarcham scribit/. Indicamus prætere[a] quia grauem hic interpretum difficultatem patimur/ dum enim non sunt qui sensum de sensu exprimant/ set transferre semper verborum proprietatem volunt omnem ductorum sensum confundunt/ &cetera. [Mignè, Patro|logia, vol. 77, col. 1099.] And from hir Cradel / vp fostred in the feith Of crist and baar his gospel in hir mynde She neuere cessed / as I writen fynde Of hir prayere / and god to loue and drede Bisekyng hym / to kepe hir maydenhede (19) ¶ And whan this mayden sholde / vn til a man Ywedded be / that was ful yong of age Which that ycleped was Valerian And day was comen / of hir mariage She ful deuout and humble in hir corage Vnder hir robe of gold / that sat ful faire Hadde next hir flessh / yclad hire in an haire (20) ¶ And whil that the Organs / maden melodie To god allone / in hir herte / thus soong she O·lord my soule / and eek my body gye Vnwemmed / lest that I confounded be And for his loue / that deyde vp on the tree Euery seconde / and thridde day she faste Ay biddyng in hir orisons ful faste (21) [Rats.Th]e nyght cam / and to bedde moste she gon With hire housbonde / as ofte is the manere And priuely / to hym she seyde anon O swete / and wel biloued spouse deere Ther is a conseil / and ye wolde it heere Which that right fayn / I wolde vn to yow seye So that ye swere / ye shul it nat biwreye (22) ¶ Valerian gan faste / vn to hir swere That for no cas / ne thyng þat myghte be He sholde neuere mo biwreyen here And thanne at erst/ to hym seyde she I haue an Aungel / which that loueth me That with gret loue / wher so I wake or slepe Is redy ay / my body for to kepe (23) ¶ And if that he / may feelen out of drede That ye me touche / or loue in vileynye He right anon / wol sleen yow with the dede And in youre youthe / thus ye shullen dye And if that ye / in clene loue me gye He wol yow loue as me / for youre clennesse And shewe to yow / his ioye and his brightnesse (24) ¶ This Valerian / corrected as god wolde Answerde agayn / if I shal trusten thee Lat me that Aungel seen / and hym biholde And if that it/ a verray Aungel be Thanne wol I doon / as thow hast prayed me And if thow loue another man / for sothe Right with this swerd / than wol I sle yow bothe (25) ¶ Cecile answerde / right in this wise If that yow list the Aungel shal ye se So that ye trowe on crist and yow baptise Goth forth to Via Apia. quod she That fro this town / ne stant but Milys thre And to the poure folkes / that ther dwellen Sey hem right thus / as that I shal yow tellen (26) ¶ Telle hem / that I Cecile / yow to hem sente To shewen yow / the goode Vrban the olde ffor secree nedes / and for good entente And whan that ye / Seint Vrban han biholde Telle hym the wordes / whiche I to yow tolde And whan that he / hath purged you fro synne Thanne shal ye seen that Aungel / er we twynne (27) ¶ This Valerian / is to the place gon And right as hym was taught by his lernynge He foond / this holy olde Vrban anon Among the Seintes buryels lotynge.i. latitantem. And he anon / with outen tariynge Dide his message / and whan that he it tolde Vrban for ioye / hise handes gan vp holde (28) ¶ The teerys from hise eyen / leet he falle Almyghty lord / o Ihesu crist quod he Sowere of chaast conseil / hierde of vs alle The fruyt of thilke seed / of chastitee That thow hast sowe in Cecilie / taak to thee Lo lyk a bisy bee / with outen gyle Thee serueth ay / thyn owne thral Cecile (29) ¶ ffor thilke spouse / that she took but now fful lyk a fiers leon /. she sendeth heere As meke / as euere was any lamb to yow And with that word / anon ther gan appeere An old man / clad in white clothes cleere That hadde a book with lettre of gold in honde And gan / biforn Valerian to stonde (30) ¶ Valerian as deed / fil doun for drede Whan he hym say / and he vp hente hym tho And on his book right thus he gan to rede O. lord / o. feith / o. god with oute mo O. cristendom / and fader of alle also Abouen alle / and oueral euery where Thise wordes / al with gold ywriten were (31) [Rats.W]han this was rad / thanne seyde this olde man Leuestow this thyng or no / sey ye / or nay I leue al this thyng quod Valerian ffor sother thyng than this / I dar wel say Vnder the heuene / no wight thynke may Tho vanysshed this olde man / he nyste where And pope[blotted out] Vrban / hym cristned right there (32) ¶ Valerian goth hom / and fynt Cecilie In with his chambre / with an Aungel stonde This Aungel hadde / of Roses and of lilie Corones two / the whiche he bar in honde And first to Cecile / as I vnderstonde He yaf that oon / and after gan he take That oother / to Valerian hir make (33) ¶ With body clene / and with vnwemmed thoght Kepeth ay wel / thise corones quod he ffro Paradys / to yow / haue I hem broght Ne neuere mo / ne shal they roten be Ne lese hir swote sauour / trusteth me Ne neuere wight shal seen hem with his eye But he be chaast / and hate vileynye (34) ¶ And thow Valerian / for thow so soone Assentedest to good conseil also Sey what thee list and thow shalt han thy boone I haue a brother / quod Valerian tho That in this world / I loue no man so I pray yow / that my brother may han grace To knowe the trouthe / as I do in this place (35) ¶ The Aungel seyde / god liketh thy requeste And bothe / with the palm of martirdom Ye shullen come / vn to his blisful feste And with that word / Tiburce his brother coom And whan that he / the sauour vndernoom Which þat the Roses / and the lilies caste With Inne his herte / he gan to wondre faste (36) ¶ And seyde / I wondre this tyme of the yere Whennes / that swote sauour / cometh so Of Rose and lilies / that I smelle heere ffor thogh I hadde hem / in myne handes two The sauour myghte in me / no depper go The swete smel / that in myn herte I fynde Hath chaunged me / al in another kynde (37) ¶ Valerian seyde / two corones han we Snow white and Rose reed / þat shynen clere Which þat thyne eyen / han no myght to se And as thow smellest hem / thurgh my prayere So shaltow seen hem / leue brother deere If it so be / thow wolt/ with outen slouthe Bileue aright and knowen verray trouthe (38) ¶ Tiburce answerde / seystow this to me In soothnesse / or in dreem I herkne this In dremes quod Valerian / han we be Vn to this tyme / brother myn ywys But now at erst/ in trouthe oure dwellyng is How wostow this quod Tiburce / in what wyse Quod Valerian / that shal I thee deuyse (39) ¶ The Aungel of god / hath me the trouthe ytaught Which thow shalt seen / if that thow wolt reneye The ydoles / and be clene / and ellis naught And of the myracle / of thise corones tweye Seint Ambrose / in his preface / list to seye Solempnely / this noble doctour deere Commendeth it and seith in this manere (40) ¶ The palme of martirdom / for to receyue Seinte Cecile / fulfild of goddes yifte The world / and eek hir chambre gan she weyue Witnesse Tiburces / and Cecilies shrifte To whiche / god of his bountee wolde shifte Corones two / of floures wel smellynge And made his Aungel / hem the corones brynge (41) [Rats.Th]e mayde hath broght men / to blisse aboue The world hath wist what it is worth certeyn Deuocion / of chastitee to loue Tho shewed hym Cecile / al open and pleyn That alle ydoles / nys but a thyng in veyn ffor they been dowmbe / and ther to they been deue And charged hym / hise ydoles for to leue (42) ¶ Who so þat troweth nat this / a beest he is Quod tho Tiburce / if that I shal nat lye And she gan kisse his brest that herde this And was ful glad / he koude trouthe espye This day I take thee / for myn allye Seyde this blisful / faire mayde deere And after that she seyde as ye may heere (43) ¶ Lo right so / as the loue of Crist quod she Made me thy brotheres wyf / right in that wise Anon for myn allie / heere take I thee Syn that thow wolt/ thyne ydoles despise Go with thy brother now / and thee baptise And make thee clene / so þat thow mowe biholde The Aungeles face / of which thy brother tolde (44) ¶ Tiburce answerde / and seyde brother deere ffirst tel me whider that I shal / and to what man To whom quod he / com forth with right good cheere I wol thee lede / vn to the pope[pope blotted out, and Bissop written over it.] Vrban Til Vrban / brother myn Valerian Quod tho Tiburce / woltow me thider lede Me thynketh / that it were a wonder dede (45) ¶ Ne menestow nat Vrban / quod he tho That is so ofte / dampned to be deed And woneth in halkes / alwey to & fro And dar nat ones / putte forth his heed Men sholde hym brennen / in a fyr so reed If he were founde / or þat men myghte hym spye And we also / to bere hym compaignye (46) ¶ And whil we seken / thilke diuinytee That is yhyd / in heuene priuely Algate / ybrend in this world shul we be To whom Cecile / answerde boldely Men myghten dreden / wel and skilfully This lyf to lese / myn owene deere brother If thys were lyuyng oonly / and noon oother (47) ¶ But ther is bettre lyf / in oother place That neuere shal be lost ne drede thee noght Which goddes sone / vs tolde thurgh his grace That fadres sone / hath alle thynges wroght And al that wroght is / with a skilful thoght The goost that fro the fader / gan procede Hath souled hem / with outen any drede (48) ¶ By word and by myracle / he goddes sone Whan he was / in this world / declared heere That ther was oother lyf / ther men may wone To whom answerde Tiburce / o suster deere Ne seydestow right now / in this manere Ther nys but o god / lord in sothfastnesse And now of thre / how maystow bere witnesse (49) ¶ That shal I telle quod she / er I go Right as a man / hath sapiences thre Memorie / engyn / and intellect also So in o beynge / of diuinytee Thre persones / may ther right wel be Tho gan she hym / ful bisily to preche Of cristes come / and of his peynes teche (50) ¶ And manye pointes / of his passion How goddes sone / in this world was withholde To doon mankynde / pleyn remission That was ybounde / in synne / and cares colde Al this thyng she vn to Tiburce tolde And after this / Tiburce in good entente With Valerian / to pope[pope blotted out, and byssop written over it.] Vrban he wente (51) [Rats.Th]at thankedvrbanus god / and with glad herte and light He cristned hym / and made hym in that place Parfit in his lernyng goddes knyght And after this / Tiburce gat swich grace That euery day / he say in tyme and space The Aungel of god / and euery maner boone That he god axed / it was sped ful soone (52) ¶ It were ful hard / by ordre for to seyn How many wondres / Ihesus for hem wroghte But at the laste / to tellen short/ and pleyn The sergeantz / of the town of Rome hem soghte And hem biforn Almache / the Prefect broghte Which hem opposed / and knew al hir entente And to the ymage of Iubiter / hem sente (53) ¶ And seyde / who so wol nat sacrifise Swape of his heed / this is my sentence heer Anon thise martirs / that I yow deuyse Oon Maximus / that was an Officer Of the Prefectes / and his Corniculer Hem hente / and whan he forth the Seintes ladde Hym self he weep / for pitee that he hadde (54) ¶ Whan Maximus / hadde herd the Seintes loore He gat hym / of the tormentours leue And ladde hem to his hous / with oute moore And with hir prechyng er that it were eue They gonnen / fro the tormentours to reue And fro Maxime / and fro his folk echone The false feith / to trowe in god allone (55) ¶ Cecile cam / whan it was woxen nyght With preestes / that hem cristned alle yfeere And afterward / whan day was woxen light Cecile hym seyde / with a ful stedefast cheere Now cristes owene knygntes / leue and deere Cast al awey / the werkes of derknesse And armeth yow / in armure of brightnesse (56) ¶ Ye han for sothe / ydoon a greet bataille Youre cours is doon / youre feith han ye conserued Goth to the corone of lyf/ that may nat faille The rightful Iuge / which that ye han serued Shal yeue it yow / as ye han it disserued And whan this thyng was seyd / as I deuyse Men ledde hem forth / to doon the sacrifise (57) ¶ But whan they weren / to the place broght To tellen shortly / the conclusioun They nolde encense / ne sacrifice right noght But on hir knees / they setten hem adoun With humble herte / and sad deuocioun And losten / bothe hir heuedes / in the place Hir soules wenten / to the kyng of grace (58) ¶ This Maximus / that say this thyng bityde With pitous teerys / tolde it anon right That he hir soules / saugh to heuene glyde With Aungeles / ful of cleernesse / and of light And with his word / conuerted many a wight ffor which Almachius / dide hym so bete With whippe of leed / til he his lyf gan lete (59) ¶ Cecile hym took / and buryed hym anon By Tiburce and Valerian softely With Inne hir buryyng place / vnder the stoon And after this / Almachius hastily Bad hise Ministres / fecchen openly Cecilie / so þat she myghte in his presence Doon sacrifice / and Iubiter encense (60) ¶ But they conuerted / at hir wise loore Wepten ful sore / and yauen ful credence Vn to hir word / and cryden moore & moore Crist goddes sone / with outen difference Is verray god / this is al oure sentence That hath so good a seruant / hym to serue This with o voys / we trowen / thogh we sterue (61) [Rats.Alm]achius / that herde of this doynge Bad fecchen Cecilie / that he myghte hir se And alderfirst lo / this was his axynge What maner womman / artow. quod he I am a gentil womman born / quod she I axe thee quod he / thogh it the greue Of thy religion / and of thy bileue (62) ¶ Ye han bigonne / youre question folily Quod she / that wolden two answeres conclude In o demande / ye axed lewedly Almachie answerde / vn to that similitude Of whennes comth / thyn answeryng so rude Of whennes quod she / whan that she was freyned Of conscience / and of good feith vnfeyned (63) ¶ Almachius seyde / ne takestow noon hede Of my power / and she answerde hym / this Youre myght quod she / ful litel is to drede ffor euery / mortal mannes power nys But lyk a bladdre / ful of wynd ywis ffor with a nedles point whan it is blowe May al the boost of it be leyd ful lowe (64) ¶ fful wrongfully / bigonne thow quod he And yet in wrong is al thy perseuerance Wostow nat how / oure myghty princes free Han thus comanded / and maad ordinance That euery cristen wight shal han penance But if that he / his cristendom withseye And goon al quyt if he wol it reneye (65) ¶ Youre Prynces erren / as youre nobleye dooth Quod tho Cecile / and with a wood sentence Ye make vs gilty / and is nat sooth ffor ye þat knowen wel / oure Innocence ffor as muche / as we doon a reuerence To crist and for we bere a cristen name Ye putte on vs / a cryme / & eek a blame· (66) ¶ But we that knowen / thilke name so ffor vertuous / we may it nat withseye Almache answerde / chees oon of thise two Do sacrifice / or cristendom reneye That thow mowe now / escapen by that weye At which / this holy / blisful faire mayde Gan for to laughe / and to the Iuge she sayde (67) ¶ O Iuge confus / in thy nycetee Wiltow / that I reneye Innocence To maken me / a wikked wight quod she Lo / he dissimuleth heere in audience He stareth and woodeth / in his aduertence To whom Almachius / vnsely wrecche Ne wostow nat how fer my myght may strecche (68) ¶ Han noght oure myghty princes / to me yeuen Ye bothe power / and auctoritee To maken folk / to dyen or to lyuen Why spekestow so prowdly / thanne to me I speke noght but stedefastly quod she Nat proudly / for I seye / as for my syde We haten dedly / thilke vice of pryde (69) ¶ And if thow drede nat a sooth to hereaudire Thanne wol I shewe / al openly by right That thow hast maad / a ful greet lesyng herehic Thow seist thy princes / han thee yeuen myght Bothe for to sleen / and for to quyken a wight Thow that ne mayst but oonly lyf byreue Thow hast noon oother power / ne no leue (70) ¶ But thow mayst seyn / thy princes han thee maked Ministre of deeth / for if thow speke of me Thow lyest for thy power is ful naked Do wey thy boldnesse / seyde Almachius tho And sacrifice / to oure goddes / er thow go I recche nat what wrong that thow me profre ffor I kan suffre it/ as a Philosophre (71) [ButRats.] thilke wronges / may I nat endure [Rats.T]hat thow spekest of oure goddes here quod he Cecilie answerde / o nyce creature Thow seydest no word / syn thow spak to me That I ne knew ther-with thy nycetee And that thow were / in euery maner wise A lewed Officer / a veyn Iustise (72) ¶ Ther lakketh no thyng to thyne outter eyenexterioribus oculis That thow nart blynd / for thyng þat we seen alle That is a stoon / that men may wel espien That ilke stoon / a god thow wolt it calle I rede thee / lat thyn hand vp on it falle And taste it wel / and stoon thow shalt it fynde Syn that thow seest nat / with thyne eyen blynde (73) ¶ It is a shame / that the peple shal So scornen thee / and laughe at thy folye ffor comenly / men woot it wel ouer al That myghty god / is in hise heuenes hye And thise ymages / wel thow mayst espye To thee / ne to hem self / mowe noght profite ffor in effect they be nat worth a myte (74) ¶ Thise / and swiche othere / seyde she And he weex wrooth / and bad men sholde hir lede Hoom til hir hous / and in hir hous quod he Bren hire / right in a Bath of flambes rede And as he bad / right so was doon the dede ffor in a Bath / they gonne hire faste shetten And nyght and day / greet fyr they vnder betten (75) ¶ The longe nyght and eek a day also ffor al the fyr / and eek the Bathes hete She sat al coold / and feeled no wo It made hir nat o drope for to swete But in that Bath / hir lyf she moste lete ffor he Almachius / with a ful wikke entente To sleen hire in the Bath / his sonde sente (76) ¶ Thre strokes in the nekke / he smoot hire tho The tormentour / but for no maner chaunce He myghte noght smyte al hir nekke atwo And for ther was / that tyme an ordinaunce That no man / sholde doon man swich penaunce The ferthe strook to smyten / softe or soore This tormentour / ne dorste do namoore (77) ¶ But half deed / with hir nekke ycoruen there He lefte hir lye / and on his wey he went The cristen folk whiche þat aboute hire were With shetes / han the blood ful faire yhent Thre dayes / lyued she in this torment And neuere cessed / hem the feith to teche That she hadde fostred / hem she gan to preche (78) ¶ And hem she yaf / hir moebles / and hir thyng And to the Pope[Pope croet out, and byssop written over it.] Vrban / bitook hem tho And seyde / I axed þis of heuene kyng To han respit thre dayes / and namo To recommende to yow / er that I go Thise soules / lo / and þat I myghte do werche Here of myn hous / perpetuelly a cherche (79) ¶ Seint Vrban / with hise deknes pryuely The body fette / and buryed it by nyghte Among hise othere Seintes honestly Hir hous / the chirche of Seinte Cecilie highte Seint Vrban halwed it/ as he wel myghte In which / in to this day / in noble wyse Men doon to crist and to his seinte seruyse. ¶ Here is ended / the Nonnes tale. GROUP E. FRAGMENT VI. § 1. THE CLERK'S HEAD-LINK. HENGWRT MS. ¶ The Prohemie of the Clerkys tale of Oxenford SIre clerk of Oxenford / oure hoost sayde Ye ride as coy / and stille as dooth a mayde Were newe spoused / sittyng at the bord This day ne herde I / of youre tonge a word I trowe ye studie / aboute som Sophyme But Salomon seith / euery thyng hath tyme ¶ ffor goddes sake / as beth of bettre cheere It is no tyme / for to studien heere Tel vs som murie tale / by youre fey ffor what man / that is entred in a pley He nedes moot/ vn-to the pley assente But precheth nat/ as freres doon in lente To maken vs / for oure olde synnes wepe Ne that thy tale / make vs nat to slepe ¶ Tel vs / som murye thyng of auentures Youre termes / youre colours / and youre figures Kepe hem in stoor / til so be ye endite Heigh stile / as whan þat men to kynges write Speketh so pleyn at this tyme / we yow preye That we may vnderstonde / what ye seye ¶ This worthy clerk/ benygnely answerde Hoost quod he / I am vnder youre yerde Ye han of vs / as now the gouernance And therfore / wol I do yow obeisance As fer / as reson asketh hardily I wol yow telle a tale / which that I Lerned at Padwe / of a worthy Clerk As proued / by his wordes and his werk He is now deed / and nayled in his Cheste I pray to god / so yeue his soule reste ¶ ffraunceys Petrak the lauryat poete Highte this clerk whos Rethoryk swete Enlumyned al Ytaille / of Poetrie As Lynyan dide / of Philosophie Or lawe / or oother art particuler But deth / þat wol nat suffre vs dwellen her But as it were / a twynklyng of an eye Hem bothe hath slayn / and alle shul we dye ¶ But forth to tellen / of this worthy man That taughte me this tale / as I bigan I seye þat first with heigh stile he enditeth Er he / the body of his tale writeth A prohemie / in which discryueth he Pemond / and of Saluces the contree¶ Est ad ytalie latus occiduum vesulus [ex Appe|nini] Iugis mons altissimus qui vertice nu[bila super]ans liquido sese ingerit etheri / Mons [suapte] nobilis natura / padi ortu no|bilissimus qu[i latere] fonte lapsus exiguo orientem contra solem fert[ur &c.] And speketh of Appenyn / the hilles hye That been the boundes / of west lumbardye And of Mouut Vesulus / in special Wher as the Poo / out of a welle smal Taketh his firste spryngyng / and his cours That Estward / ay encresseth in his cours To Emeleward / to fferare / and Venyse The which / a long thyng were to deuyse And trewely / as to my Iuggement Me thynketh it a thyng inpertinent Saue þat he wole / convoien his matere But this his tale / which þat ye shal heere ¶ Here bigynneth the tale. Ther is / at the west syde of Ytaille¶ Inter cetera ad radicem Vesuli terra Saluciarum vicis & castellis. Doun at the roote / of Vesulus the colde A lusty playne / habundant of vitaille¶ grata planicies Wher many a tour and town / thow mayst biholde That founded were / in tyme of fadres olde And many another / delitable sighte And Saluces / this noble contree highte ¶ A Markys whilom / lord was of that lond As were his worthy eldres hym bifore And obeysant ay redy to his hond Were alle his liges / bothe lasse and moore Thus in delit he lyueth / and hath doon yoore Biloued and drad / thurgh fauour of ffortune Bothe of his lordes / and of his commune [ThRats.]er with he was / to speke as of lynage The gentileste / yborn of Lumbardye A fair persone / and strong and yong of age And ful of honour / and of curteisye Discret ynogh / his contree for to gye Saue in some thynges / þat he was to blame And Walter / was this yonge lordes name ¶ I blame hym thus / that he considered noght In tyme comynge / what myghte hym bityde But on his lust present was al his thoght As for to hauke / and hunte on euery syde Wel neigh / alle oothere cures leet he slyde And eek he nolde / and that was worst of alle Wedde no wyf/ for noght þat may bifalle ¶ Oonly that point his peple bar so soore That flokmele on a day / they to hym wentecateruatim. And oon of hem / þat wisest was of loore Or ellis / þat the lord / best wolde assente That he sholde telle hym / what his peple mente Or ellis koude he / shewe wel swich matere He to the Markys seyde / as ye shal heere ¶ O noble Markys / youre humanitee// tua inquid humanitas optime Marchio Assureth vs / and yeueth vs hardynesse As ofte / as tyme is of necessitee That we to yow / mowe telle oure heuynesse Accepteth lord / now of youre gentillesse That we with pitous herte / vn to yow pleyne And lat youre erys / noght my voys disdeyne ¶ Al haue I noght to doone / in this matere Moore than another man / hath in this place Yet for as muche / as ye my lord so deere Han alwey shewed me / fauour and grace I dar the bettre / aske of yow a space Of audience / to shewen oure requeste And ye my lord / to doon right as yow leste ¶ ffor certes lord so wel vs liketh yow And al youre werk and euere han doon / þat we Ne kouden nat vs self / deuysen how We myghte lyuen / in moore felicitee Saue o thyng lord / if it youre wille be That for to been a wedded man / yow leste Thanne were youre peple / in souereyn hertes reste ¶ Boweth youre nekke / vnder that blisful yok Of souereyntee / noght of seruyse Which that men clepe / spousaille / or wedlok And thenketh lord / among youre thoghtes wise How þat oure dayes passe / in sondry wyse ffor thogh we slepe / or wake / or renne / or ryde Ay fleeth the tyme / it nel no man abyde ¶ And thogh youre grene youthe / floure as yit In crepeth age alwey / as stille as stoon And deth / manaceth euery age and smyt In ech estat for ther escapeth noon And also certeyn / as we knowe echon That we shal dye / as vncerteyn we alle Been of that day / whan deth shal on vs falle ¶ Accepteth thanne of vs / the trewe entente That neuere yet refuseden thyn heste And we wol lord / if þat ye wol assente Chese yow a wyf/ in short tyme at the leeste Born of the gentileste / and of the meeste Of al this lond / so þat it oghte seme Honour / to god and yow / as we kan deme ¶ Delyuere vs / out of al this bisy drede And tak a wyf / for heighe goddes sake ffor if so bifelle / as god forbede That thurgh youre deeth / youre ligne sholde slake And that a straunge Successour / sholde take Youre heritage / o. wo were vs alyue Wher fore / we pray yow / hastily to wyue [HirRats. meke prayere / and hir pitous cheere Made the Markys herte / han pitee Ye wol quod he / myn owene peple deere To that I neuere erst thoghte / streyne me I me reioysed / of my libertee That selde tyme / is founde in mariage Ther I was free / I moot ben in seruage ¶ But nathelees / I se youre trewe entente And truste vp on youre wit and haue doon ay Wher fore / of my free wyl / I wol assente To wedde me / as soone as euere I may But ther as ye / han profred me to day To chese me a wyf/ I yow relesse That choys / and pray yow of that profre cesse ¶ ffor god it woot þat children ofte ben Vnlyk/ hir worthy eldres hem bifore Bountee comth al of god / nat of the stren Of which / they been engendred and ybore I triste in goddes bountee / and ther fore My mariage / and myn estat and reste I hym bitake / he may doon as hym leste ¶ Lat me allone / in chesyng of my wyf That charge vp on my bak I wol endure But I pray yow / and charge vp on youre lyf That what wyf þat I take / ye me assure To worshipe hire / whil þat hir lyf may dure In word and werk/ bothe here and euerywhere As she / an Emperours doghter were ¶ And ferther moore / this shal ye swere / þat ye Agayn my choys / shal neither grucche ne stryue ffor sith / I shal forgoon my libertee At your requeste / as euere mote I thryue Ther as myn herte is set/ ther wol I wyue And but ye wol assente / in swich manere I pray yow / speketh namoore of this matere ¶ With hertly wyl / they sworen and assenten To al this thyng ther seyde no wight nay Bisekynge hym of grace / ēr þat they wenten That he wolde / graunten hem a certein day Of his spousaille / as soone as euere I may ffor yet alwey / the peple som what dredde Lest that the Markys / no wyf wolde wedde ¶ He graunted hem a day / swich as hym leste On which / he wolde be wedded sikerly And seyde / he dide al this at hir requeste And they / with humble entente buxomly Knelynge vp on hir knees / ful reuerently Hym thanken alle / and thus they han an ende Of hir entente / and hom agayn they wende And her vp on / he to his officers Comaundeth / for the feste to purueye And to his pryuee knyghtes and Squyers Swich charge yaf / as hym liste on hem leye And they / to his comandement obeye And ech of hem / dooth al his diligence To doon / vn-to the feste reuerence¶ Explicit prima pars. ¶ Incipit pars secunda. NOght fer / fro thilke paleys honurable Wher as this Markys / shoope his mariage Ther stood a Throope / of site delitable In which þat poure folk / of that village Hadden hir bestes / and hir herbergage And of hir labour / token hir sustenance After that the erthe / yaf hem habundance [ARats.]mong this poure folk / ther dwelte a man Which þat was holden / pourest of hem alle But heighe god / som tyme senden kan His grace / in to a litel Oxes Stalle Ianicula / men of that Throope hym calle A doghter hadde he / fair ynogh to sighte And Grisildis / this yonge mayden highte ¶ But for to speke / of vertuous beautee Thanne was she / oon the faireste vnder the sonne ffor poureliche / yfostred vp was she No likerous lust was thurgh hir herte yronne Wel ofter of the welle / than of the tonne She drank and for she wolde vertu plese She knew wel labour / but noon ydel ese ¶ But thogh this mayde / tendre were of age Yet in the brest of hir virginitee Ther was enclosed / rype and sad corage And in gret reuerence / and charitee Hir olde poure fader / fostred she A fewe sheepe / spynnynge / on feld she kepte She wolde noght been ydel / til she slepte ¶ And whan she homward cam / she wolde brynge Wortes / or othere herbes / tymes ofte The whiche she shredde / and seeth for his lyuynge And made hir bed ful harde / and no thyng softe And ay she kepte / hir fadres lyf on lofte With euery obeysance / and diligence That child may doon / to fadres reuerence ¶ Vp on Grisilde / this poure creature fful ofte sithe / this Markys sette his eye And he / on huntyng rood per auenture And whan it fil / þat he myghte hire espie He noght wit wantowne lookyng of folye Hise eyen caste on hire / but in sad wyse Vp on hir cheere / he wolde hym ofte auyse ¶ Commendynge in his herte / hir wommanhede And eek hir vertu / passyng any wight Of so yong age / as wel in cheere as dede ffor thogh the peple / hath no greet insight In vertue / he considered ful right Hir bountee / and disposed þat he wolde Wedde hire oonly / if euere he wedden sholde ¶ The day of weddyng cam / but no wight kan Telle what womman / þat it sholde be ffor which merueille / wondred many a man And seyden / whan they were in priuetee Wol nat oure lord / yet leue his vanytee Wol he nat wedde / allas the while Why wol he thus / hym self and vs bigyle ¶ But nathelees / this Markys hath doon make Of gemmes / set in gold and in Asure Broches and rynges / for Grisildis sake And of hir clothyng took he the mesure Of a mayde / lyk to hir stature And eek of othere / aournementes alle That vn-to swich a weddyng sholde falle ¶ The tyme of vndren / of the same day Approcheth / þat this weddyng sholde be And al the palays / put was in array Bothe halle and chambres / ech in his degree Houses of office / stuffed with plentee Ther maystow seen / of deynteuous vitaille That may be founde / as fer as last Ytaille ¶ This Roial Markys / richeliche arrayed Lordes and ladys / in his compaignye The whiche / þat to the feste were yprayed And of his retenue / the Bachilrye With many a sown / of sondry melodye Vn to the village / of the which I tolde In this array / the righte wey han holde [GriRats.]silde of this / god woot ful Innocent [TRats.]hat for hire shapen was / al this array To fecchen water / at a welle / is went And cometh hom / as soone as euer she may ffor wel she hadde herd seyd / þat thilke day The Markys sholde wedde / and if she myghte She wolde fayn han seyn / som of that sighte ¶ She thoghte / I wole with othere maydens stonde That been my felawes / in oure dore and se¶ vt expeditis curis alijs ad visendum domini sui sponsam cum puellis comitibus properaret. The Markisesse / and therfore wol I fonde To doon at hom / as soone as it may be The labour / which þat longeth vn to me And thanne I may / at leyser hir biholde Yf she this wey / vn to the Castel holde ¶ And as she wolde / ouer the thresshfold gon The Markys cam / and gan hire for to calle And she sette doun / hir water pot anon Bisyde the thresshfold / in an Oxes Stalle And doun vp on hir knees / she gan to falle And with sad contenance / kneleth stille Til she hadde herd / what was the lordes wille ¶ This thoghtful Markys / spak vn to this mayde¶ quum Walterus cogitabundus incedens eamque compellans nomine. fful sobrely / and seyde in this manere Where is youre fader / o. Grisildis he sayde And she with reuerence / in humble cheere Answerde / lord he is al redy heere And she goth / with outen lenger lette And to the Markys / she hir fader fette ¶ He by the hand / than took this olde man And seyde thus / whan he hym hadde asyde Ianicula / I neither may ne kan Lenger / the plesance of myn herte hyde If that thow vouche sauf / what so bityde Thy doghter wol I take / er that I wende As for my wyf/ vn to my lyues ende ¶ Thow louest me / I woot it wel certeyn And art my feithful lige man ybore And al that liketh me / I dar wel seyn It liketh thee / and specially ther fore Tel me that point/ that I haue seyd bifore If that thow wolt vn to that purpos drawe To take me / as for thy sone in lawe ¶ The sodeyn cas / this man astoneyd so That reed he weex abayst and al quakyng He stood / vnnethe seyde he wordes mo But oonly this / lord quod he / my willyng Is as ye wole / ne ayeins youre likyng I wol no thyng ye be my lord so deere Right as yow list/ gouerneth this matere ¶ Yet wol I / quod this Markys / softely That in thy chambre / .I. and thow. and she Haue a collacion / and wostow why ffor .I wol aske / if it hir wille be To be my wyf / and rule hire after me And al this shal be doon / in thy presence I wol noght speke / out of thyn audience ¶ And in the chambre / whil they were aboute Hir tretys / which as ye shal after heere The peple cam / vn to the hous with oute And wondred hem / in how honeste manere And tentifly / she kepte hir fader deere But outrely / Grisildis wondre myghte ffor neuere eft ne saw she swich a sighte ¶ No wonder is / thogh þat she were astoned¶ Et insolito tanti hospitis aduentu stupidam inuenit/ To seen so greet a gest come in to place She neuere was / to swiche gestes woned ffor which she looked / with ful pale face But shortly / forth this matere for to chace Thise arn the wordes / þat this Markys sayde To this benygne / verray feithful mayde [GriRats.]silde he seyde / ye shal wel vnderstonde¶ Et patri tuo placet inquid & michi vt vxor mea sis / et credo idipsum tibi placeat / set habeo ex te querere &cetera. It liketh to youre fader / and to me That I yow wedde / and eek it may so stonde As I suppose / ye wol þat it so be But thise demandes / aske I first quod he That sith it shal be doon / in hastif wyse Wol ye assente / or ellis yow auyse ¶ I sey this / be ye redy / with good herte To al my lust and þat I frely may As me best thynketh / do yow laughe or smerte And neuere ye to grucche it/ nyght ne day And eek whan I sey ye / ne sey nat nay Neither by word / ne frownyng contenance¶ Sine vlla frontis aut verbi impugnacione. Swere this / and heere I swere oure alliance ¶ Wondrynge vp on this word / quakyng for drede¶ Nil ego vnquam sciens nedum faciam set eciam cogitabo quod contra animum tuum sit/ nec tu aliquid facies / et si me mori iusseris quod moleste feram. She seyde lord / vndigne / or vnworthy I am / to thilke honour / þat ye me bede But as ye wol your self/ right so wol I And heere I swere / that neuere willyngly In werk ne thoght I nel yow disobeye ffor to be deed / thogh me were looth to deye ¶ This is ynough / Grisilde myn quod he And forth he goth / with a ful sobre cheere Out at the dore / and after that cam she And to the peple / he seyde in this manere This is my wyf quod he / that standeth heere Honureth hire / and loueth hire I preye Who so me loueth / there is namoore to seye ¶ And for þat no thyng of hir olde gere¶ dehinc ne quid reliquiarum fortune veteris nouam inferat in domum / nudari eam iussit/ She sholde brynge in to his hous / he bad That wommen / sholde dispoylen hir right there Of which / thise ladys / were noght right glad To handle hir clothes / wher Inne she was clad But nathelees / this mayde bright of hewe ffro foot to heed / they clothed han al newe ¶ Hir herys han they kembd / that laye vntressed fful rudely / and with hir fyngres smale A coroune on hir heed / they han ydressed And sette hire ful Nowches grete and smale Of hir array / what sholde I make a tale Vnnethe the peple hir knew / for hir fairnesse Whan she translated was / in swich richesse ¶ This Markys / hath hire spoused with a ryng Broght for the same cause / and thanne hir sette Vp on an hors snow whyt and wel amblyng And to his palays / er he lenger lette With ioyful peple / þat hir ledde and mette Convoied hire / and thus / the day they spende In reuel / til the sonne gan descende ¶ And shortly / forth this tale for to chace I seye / þat to this newe Markysesse God hath / swich fauour sent hire of his grace That it ne semed nat by liklynesse That she / was born and fed in rudenesse As in a cote / or in an Oxes Stalle But norissed / in an Emperours halle ¶ To euery wight she woxen is so deere//Atque apud omnes supra fidem cara & venera|bilis facta est/ vix quod hijs ipsis qui illius originem nouerant/ persuaderi posset Ianicule natam esse tantus vite / tantus morum decor ea verborum grauitas atque dulcedo quibus omnium animos nexu sibi magni amoris astrinxerat/ And worshipful / þat folk ther she was bore That from hir burthe / knewe hire yeer by yeere Vnnethe trowed they / but dorste han swore That to Ianicle / of which I spak bifore She doghter were / for as by coniecture Hem thoughte / she was another creature ¶ ffor thogh þat euere / vertuous was she She was encressed / in swich excellence Of thewes goode / yset in heigh bountee And so discreet and fair of eloquence So benygne / and so digne of reuerence And koude so / the peples herte embrace That ech hir louede / that looked on hir face [NRats.]oght oonly / of Saluce in the town Publissed was / the bountee of hir name But eek bisyde / in many a Regioun If oon seyde wel / another seyde the same So spradde / of hir heighe bountee the fame That men and wommen / as wel yonge as olde Goon to Saluce / on hire to biholde ¶ Thus Walter lowely / nay but roially¶ Sic Walterus humili quidem set insigni ac prospero matrimonio honestatis summa dei in pace &cetera. Wedded / with fortunat honestetee In goddes pees / lyueth ful esily At hom / and outward grace ynow hath he And for he saugh / þat vnder lowe degree¶ Quodque eximiam virtutem tanta sub inopia latitantem tam perspicaciter deprendisset vulgo prudentissimus habebatur. Was ofte vertu hyd / the peple hym helde A prudent man / and that is seyn ful selde ¶ Noght oonly / this Grisildis / thurgh hir witNeque vero solers sponsa muliebria tantum ac do|mestica / set vbi res posceret publica eciam subibat officia. Koude al the feet of wifly humblenesse But eek whan þat the cas required it The commune profit koude she redresse Ther nas discord / rancour / ne heuynesse In al that land / þat she ne koude apese And wisly / brynge hem alle in reste and ese ¶ Thogh þat hir housbond absent were / anon¶ viro absente lites patrie / nobilium discordias dirimens atque componens tam grauibus responsis / tantaque maturi|tate & Iudicij equitate vt omnes ad salutem publicam demissam celo feminam predicarent. If gentil men / or othere of hir contree Were wrothe / she wolde bryngen hem aton So wise / and rype wordes hadde she And Iuggementz / of so greet equytee That she from heuene sent was / as men wende Peple to saue / and euery wrong tamende ¶ Nat longe tyme after that this Grisild Was ywedded / she a doghter hath ybore Al hadde hir leuere / haue had a knaue child Glad was the Markys / and the folk ther fore ffor thogh a mayde child / coome al bifore She may / vn to a knaue child atteyne By liklyhede / syn she nys nat bareyneExplicit secunda pars. Incipit/ pars tercia. THer fil / as it bifalleth tymes mo ¶ cepit [ut fit interdum Walterum cum] iam [ablactata esset infantula] mirabilis q[uedam quam laudabilis] cupiditas sat[is expertam care fidem] coniugis experien[di alcius & iterum] atque iterum retem[ptandi]. Whan þat this child / hath souked but a throwe This Markys / in his herte longeth so To tempte his wyf/ hir sadnesse for to knowe That he ne myghte / out of his herte throwe This merueilous desir / his wyf tassaye Nedelees god woot he thoghte hire for tafraye ¶ He hadde assayed hire / ynow bifore And fond hir euere good / what neded it Hir for to tempte / and alwey moore & moore Thogh som men preyse it for a subtil wit But as for me / I seye þat yuele it sit Tassaye a wyf / whan þat it is no nede And putten hire / in angwyssh and in drede ffor which / this Markys / wroghte in this manere He cam allone a nyght ther as she lay With steerne face / and with ful trouble cheere And seyde thus / Grisilde quod he that day That I yow took out of youre poure array And putte yow in estat of heigh noblesse Ye haue nat that forgeten as I gesse ¶ I seye Grisilde / this present dignitee In which þat I haue put yow / as I trowe Maketh yow / nat foryetful for to be That I yow took in poure estat ful lowe ffor any wele / ye mote your seluen knowe Tak hede of euery word / þat I yow seye Ther is no wight þat hereth it but we tweye ¶ Ye woot your self wel / how þat ye cam heere In to this hous / it is nat longe ago And thogh to me / þat ye be lief and deere Vn to my gentils / ye be no thyng so They seyn / to hem / it is greet shame & wo ffor to be subgitz / and been in seruage To thee / that born art of a smal village ¶ [AnRats.]d namely / sith thy doghter was ybore Thise wordes / han they spoken doutelees But I desire / as I haue doon bifore To lyue my lyf with hem / in reste and pees I may nat in this cas be recchelees I moot doon with thy doghter / for the beste Nat as I wolde / but as my peple leste ¶ And yet god woot this is ful looth to me But nathelees / with outen youre wityng I wol nat doon / but this wol I quod he That ye to me assente / as in this thyng Shewe now youre pacience / in youre wirkyng That ye me highte / and swore in yone village That day / þat maked was oure mariage ¶ Whan she hadde herd al this / she noght ameued Neither in word / or cheere / or contenanceNec verbo mota / nec vultu. ffor as it semed / she was nat agreued She seyde lord / al lith in youre plesance My child and I / with hertly obeisance Been youres al / and ye mowe saue or spille Youre owene thyng werketh after youre wille ¶ Ther may no thyng god so my soule saue Liken to yow / þat may displesen me Ne I ne desire / no thyng for to haue Ne drede for to lese / saue oonly thee /vel ye This wyl is in myn herte / and ay shal be No lengthe of tyme / or deth may this deface Ne chaunge my corage / to oother place ¶ Glad was this Markys / of hir answeryng But yet he feyned / as he were nat so Al drery was his cheere / and his lookyng Whan þat he sholde / out of the chambre go Soone after this / a furlang wey or two He pryuely / hath told al his entente Vn to a man / and to his wyf hym sente ¶ A maner sergeant/ was this priuee man The which þat feithful ofte / he founden hadde In thynges grete / and eek swich folk wel kan Doon execucion / in thynges badde The lord knew wel / that he [hy]m loued and dradde And whan this sergeant wiste his lordes wille In to the chambre / he stalked hym ful stille ¶ Madame he seyde / ye mote foryeue it me Thogh I do thyng to which I am constreyned Ye ben so wys / þat ful wel knowe ye That lordes hestes / mowe nat ben yfeyned They mowe wel been / biwailled / or compleyned But men mote nede / vn to hir lust obeye And so wol I / ther is namoore to seye ¶ This child / I am comaunded for to take And spak namoore / but out the child he hente Despitously / and gan a cheere make As thogh he wolde / han slayn it er he wente Grisildis moot al suffre / and al consente And as a lamb / she sitteth meke and stille And leet this crewel sergeant doon his wille ¶ Suspecious was / the diffame of this man¶ Suspecta viri fama. ¶ Suspecta facies. Suspect his face / suspect his word also¶ Suspecta hora. Suspect/ the tyme / in which he this bigan¶ Suspecta erat oracio. Allas hir doghter / þat she loued so She wende / he wolde / han slayn it right tho But nathelees / she neither weepe ne syked Conformynge hire / to that the Markys liked ¶ But at the laste / speken she bigan And mekely / she to the sergeant preyde So as he was / a worthy gentil man That she moste kisse hir child / er þat it deyde And on hir barm / this litel child she leyde With ful sad face / and gan the child to blesse And lulled it and after gan it kesse ¶ [ARats.]nd thus she seyde / in hir benygne voys ffare wel my child / I shal thee neuere see But sith I thee / haue marked with the croys Of thilke fader / blessed mote he be That for vs deyde / vp on a croys of tree Thy soule litel child / I hym bitake ffor this nyght shaltow dyen for my sake ¶ I trowe / that to a Norice in this cas It hadde been hard / this routhe for to se Wel myghte a moder / haue cryd allas But nathelees / so sad stedefast was she That she endured / al aduersitee And to the Sergeant mekely she sayde Haue here agayn / youre litel yonge mayde ¶ Goth now quod she / and doth my lordes heste But o thyng wol I pray yow / of youre grace That but my lord / forbad yow at the leeste Burieth this litel body / in som place That bestes / ne no bryddes / it to-race But he no word / wol to that purpos seye But took the child / and wente vp on his weye ¶ This sergeant cam / vn to his lord agayn And of Grisildis wordes / and hir cheere He tolde hym poynt for poynt in short and playn And hym presenteth / with his doghter deere Som what this lord / hadde routhe in his manere But nathelees / his purpos held he stille As lordes doon / whan they wol han hir wille ¶ And bad this Sergeant þat he pryuely Sholde this child / softe wynde and wrappe With alle circumstances tendrely And carie it in a cofre / or in a lappe But vp on peyne / his heed of for to swappe That no man sholde knowe / of this entente Ne whennes he cam / ne whider þat he wente ¶ But at Boloigne / he to his suster deere That thilke tyme / of Pauyk was Countesse He sholde it take / and shewe hire this matere Bisekynge hire / to doon hir bisynesse This child to fostre / in alle gentilesse And whos child þat it was / he bad hire hyde ffrom euery wight for aught þat may bityde ¶ The Sergeant goth / and hath fulfild this thyng But to this Markys / now retourne we ffor now goth he / ful faste ymagynyng If by his wyues cheere / he myghte se Or by hir word aparceyue / that she Were chaunged / but he neuere hir koude fynde But euere in oon / ylike sad and kynde ¶ As glad / as humble / as busy in seruyse¶ Par alacritas atque sedalitas solitum obsequium/ idem amor nulla filie mencio. And eek in loue / as she was wont to be Was she to hym / in euery maner wise Ne of hir doghter / noght a word spak she Noon accident for noon aduersitee Was seyn in hire / ne neuere hir doghter name Ne nempned she / in ernest ne in game¶ Explicit tercia pars. ¶ Incipit pars quarta. IN this estat ther passed ben .4. yeer¶ transiuerant hoc/ in statu anni .4. dum ecce grauida &cetera. Er she with childe was / but as god wolde A knaue child she bar / by this Walter fful gracious / and fair for to biholde And whan þat folk / it to his fader tolde Nat oonly he / but al his contre merye Was for this child / and god they thanke and herye ¶ Whan it was two yeer old / and fro the brest Departed of his Norice / on a day This Markys / caughte yet another lest To tempte his wyf / yet ofter / if he may O nedelees / was she tempted in assay But wedded men / ne knowe no mesure Whan þat they fynde / a pacient creature ¶ Wyf quod this Markys / ye han herd er this¶ Et olim ait audisti populum meum egre nos|trum ferre connubium &cetera. My peple / sikly berth this mariage And namely / sith my sone yborn is Now is it worse / than euere in al oure age The murmur sleeth myn herte / and my corage ffor to myne erys / comth the voys so smerte That it wel neigh / destroyed hath myn herte ¶ Now sey they thus / whan Walter is agon Thanne shal / the blood of Ianycle succede And been oure lord / for oother haue we noon Swiche wordes / seith my peple out of drede Wel oghte I / of swich murmur taken hede ffor certeinly / I drede swich sentence Though they nat pleyn / speke in myn audience ¶ I wolde lyue in pees / if þat I myghte Wherfore / I am disposed outrely As I his suster / serued by nyghte Right so thenke I / to serue hym priuely This warne I yow / þat ye nat sodeynly Out of your self / for no wo sholde outraye Beth pacient and ther of I yow praye ¶ I haue quod she seyd thus / and euere shal I wol no thyng ne nyl no thyng certeyn But as yow list noght greueth me at al Thogh that my doghter / and my sone be sleyn At youre comandement this is to seyn I haue nat had no part of children tweyne But first siknesse / and after wo and peyne ¶ Ye ben oure lord / dooth with youre owene thyng Right as yow list axeth no reed of me ffor as I lefte at hom / al my clothyng Whan I first cam to yow / right so quod she Lefte I my wyl / and al my libertee And took youre clothyng/ wherfore I yow preye Dooth youre plesance / I wol youre lust obeye ¶ And certes / if I hadde prescience¶ ffac sen[ten]ciam tibi placere quod moriar volens moriar. Youre wyl to knowe / er ye youre lust me tolde I wolde it doon / with outen necligence But now I woot youre lust/ and what ye wolde Al youre plesance / ferm and stable I holde ffor wiste I / þat my deeth / wolde doon yow ese Right gladly wolde I dyen / yow to plese ¶ Deeth may nat make / no comparisoun Vn-to your love And whan this Marqys say The constance of hys wyf / he caste adoun Hise eyen two / and wondreth þat she may In pacience / suffre al this array And forth he goth / with drery contenance But to his herte / it was ful gret plesance ¶ This vggly sergeant in the same wyse That he hir doghter caughte / right so he Or worse / if men worse kan deuyse Hath hent hir sone / þat ful was of beautee And euere in oon / so pacient was she That she / no cheere made of heuynesse But kiste hir sone / and after gan it blesse ¶ Saue this she prayde hym / þat if he myghte Hir litel sone / he wolde in erthe graue His tendre lymes / delicat to sighte ffro foweles / and fro bestes / hem to saue But she noon answere / of hym myghte haue He wente his wey / as hym no thyng roghte But to Boloigne / he tendrely it broghte [TRats.]his Markys wondreth / euer lenger the moore Vp on hir pacience / and if þat he Ne hadde soothly / knowen ther bifoore That parfitly / hir children loued she He wolde haue wend / þat of som subtiltee And of malice / or of cruel corage That she hadde suffred this / with sad visage ¶ But wel he knew / þat next hym self certayn She loued hir children best in euery wise But now of wommen / wolde I asken fayn If thise assayes / myghte nat suffise What koude a sturdy housbond / moore deuyse To proue hir wifhod / and hir stedfastnesse And he contynuynge / euere in sturdynesse ¶ But ther ben folk / of swich condicion That whan they haue / a certeyn purpos take They kan nat stynte / of hir entencion But right as they were bounden to that stake They wol nat of that firste purpos slake Right so this Markys / fulliche hath purposed To tempte his wyf / as he was first disposed ¶ He wayteth / if by word / or contenance That she to hym / was chaunged of corage But neuere / koude he fynde variance She was ay oon / in herte and in visage And ay the ferther / þat she was of age The moore trewe / if þat were possible She was to hym in loue / and moore penyble ¶ ffor which it semed thus / þat of hem two Ther nas but o wyl / for as Walter leste The same lust was hir plesance also And god be thanked / al fyl for the beste She shewed wel / for no worldly vnreste A wif as of hir self no thyng ne sholde Wille in effect but as hir housbond wolde ¶ The sclaundre of Walter / ofte and wyde spradde¶ ceperit sensi[m de Waltero] decolor fama [cre|brescere.] That of a cruel herte / he wikkedly ffor he / a poure womman / wedded hadde Hath mordred / bothe his children pryuely Swich murmur / was among hem comunly No wonder is / for to the peples ere Ther cam no word / but þat they mordred were ¶ ffor which / wher as his peple ther bifore Hadde loued hym wel / the sclaundre of his diffame Made hem / that they hym hated therfore To ben a mordrere / is an hateful name But natheles / for ernest ne for game He / of his cruel purpos nolde stente To tempte his wyf / was set al his entente ¶ Whan that this doghter /.xij. yer was of age He to the court of Rome / in subtil wise Enformed of his wil / sente his message Comaundynge hem / swiche bulles to deuyse As to his cruel purpos / may suffise How þat the pope / as for his peples reste Bad hym to wedde / another if hym leste ¶ I seye / he bad they sholde contrefete The popes bulles / makyng mencion That he hath leue / his firste wyf to lete As by the popes dispensacion To stynte rancour / and dissencion Bitwix his peple and hym / thus seyde the bulle The which / they han publissed at the fulle ¶ The rude peple / as it no wonder is Wenden ful wel / þat it hadde ben right so But whan thise tidynges / cam to Grisildis I deme / that hir herte was ful wo But she / ylike sad for euere mo Disposed was / this humble creature Thaduersitee of ffortune / al tendure ¶ Abidynge euere / his lust and his plesance To whom þat she was yeuen / herte and al As to hire / verray worldly suffisance But shortly / if this storie I tellen shal This Markys / writen hath in special A lettre / in which / he sheweth his entente And secrely / he to Boloigne it sente ¶ To the Erl of Pavyk which þat hadde tho Wedded his suster / prayde he specially To bryngen hom agayn / his children two In honurable estat al openly But o thyng he hym prayde outrely That he to no wight th[o]gh men wolde enquere Sholde nat tellen / whos children þat they were ¶ But seye / the mayden sholde ywedded be Vn to the Markys of Saluce / anon And as this Erl was prayd / so dide he ffor at day set he on his wey is gon Toward Saluce / and lordes many oon In riche array / this mayden for to gyde Hir yonge brother / ridyng hir bisyde ¶ Arrayed was / toward hir mariage This fresshe mayde / ful of gemmes clere Hir brother / which þat seuen yeer was of age Arrayed eek ful fressh in his manere And thus in gret noblesse / and with glad cheere Toward Saluces / shapyng hir iourney ffro day to day / they ryden in hir wey¶ Explicit quarta pars. ¶ Incipit pars qinta / ¶ The Cler[kes Tale] Among al this / after his wikke vsage This Markys yet his wif to tempte moore To the outreste preue / of hir corage ffully to han / experience and loore If that she were / as stedefast as bifore He on a day / in open audience fful boystously / hath seyd hire this sentence ¶ Certes Grisilde / I hadde ynogh plesance To han yow to my wyf / for youre goodnesse And for youre trouthe / and for youre obeysance Noght for youre lynage / ne for youre richesse But now knowe I / in verray sothfastnesse That in gret lordshipe / if I wel auyse Ther is gret seruitute / in sondry wyse ¶ I may nat do / as euery Plowman may My peple / me constreyneth for to take Another wyf / and cryen day by day And eek the pope / rancour for to slake Consenteth it that dar I vndertake And trewely / thus muche I wol yow seye My newe wif / is comynge by the weye ¶ Be strong of herte / and voyde anon hir place And thilke dowere / þat ye broghten me Tak it agayn / I graunte it of my grace Retourneth / to youre fadres hous quod he No man may / alwey han prosperitee With euene herte / I rede yow tendure The strook / of ffortune / or of auenture ¶ And she agayn / answerde in pacience My lord quod she / I woot and wiste alway How þat bitwixen / youre magnificence And my pouerte / no wight kan ne may Maken comparison / it is no nay I ne heeld me neuere digne / in no manere To be youre wyf/ no; ne youre chambrere And in this hous / ther ye me lady made The heighe god take I / for my witnesse And also wisly / he my soule glade I neuere heeld me lady / ne maistresse But humble seruant to youre worthynesse And euere shal / whil þat my lyf may dure Abouen / euery worldly creature ¶ That ye so longe / of youre benygnytee Han holden me / in honour and nobleye Where as I was / noght worthy for to be That thonke I god and yow / to whom I preye fforyelde it yow / ther is namoore to seye Vn to my fader / gladly wol I wende And with hym dwelle / vn to my lyues ende ¶ Ther I was fostred / of a child ful smal Til I be deed / my lyf ther wol I lede A wydewe clene / in body / herte / and al ffor sith / I yaf to yow / my maydenhede And am youre trewe wyf / it is no drede God shilde / swich a lordes wyf to take Another man / to housbond / or to make ¶ And of youre newe wyf / god of his grace So graunte yow / wele and prosperitee ffor I wol gladly / yelden hire my place In which / þat I was blisful wont to be ffor sith it liketh yow / my lord quod she That whilom weren / al myn hertes reste That I shal goon / I wol goon whan yow leste ¶ But ther as ye / me profre swich dowaire As I first broghte / it is wel in my mynde It were my wrecched clothes / no thyng faire The whiche to me / were hard now for to fynde O goode god / how gentil / and how kynde Ye semed / by youre speche / and youre visage The day / that maked was oure mariage ¶ But sooth is seyd / algate I fynde it trewe ffor in effect it proued is on me Loue is noght old / as whan þat it is newe But certes lord / for noon aduersitee To dyen in this cas / it shal nat be That euere in word or werk/ I shal repente That I yow yaf myn herte / in hool entente ¶ My lord ye woot þat in my fadres place Ye dide me strepe / out of my poure wede And richely / me cladden of youre grace To yow broghte I / noght ellis out of drede But feith / and nakednesse / and maydenhede And here agayn / my clothyng I restore And eek my weddyngryng for euere moore ¶ The remenant of youre Iewels / redy be In with youre chambre / dar I saufly sayn Naked / out of my fadres hous quod she I cam / and naked moot I turne agayn Al youre plesance / wol I folwen fayn But yet I hope / it be nat youre entente That I smoklees / out of youre palays wente ¶ Ye koude nat doon / so dishoneste a thyng That thilke wombe / in which youre children leye Sholde biforn the peple / in my walkyng Be seyn al bare / wher fore I yow preye Lat me / nat lyk a worm / go by the weye Remembre yow / myn owene lord so deere I was youre wyf / thogh I vnworthy weere ¶ Wher fore / in gerdon of my maydenhede Which þat I broghte / and noght agayn I bere As voucheth sauf to yeue me to my mede But swich a smok as I was wont to were That I ther with / may wrye the wombe of here That was youre wyf / and here take I my leeue Of yow myn owene lord / lest I yow greeue ¶ The smok quod he / that thow hast on thy bak/ Lat it be stille / and bere it forth with thee But wel vnnethes / thilke word he spak But wente his wey / for routhe and for pitee Biforn the folk / hir seluen strepeth shee And in hir smok/ with heued & feet al bare Toward hir fader hous / forth is she fare ¶ The folk hir folwen / wepynge in hir weye And ffortune / ay they cursen as they goon But she fro wepyng kepte hir eyen dreye Ne in this tyme / word ne spak she noon Hir fader / that this tidynge herde anon Curseth the day and tyme / þat nature Shoope hym / to been a lyues creature ¶ ffor out of doute / this olde poure man Was euere / in suspect of hir mariage ffor euere he demed / sith þat it bigan That whan the lord / fulfild hadde his corage Hym wolde thynke / it were a disparage To his estat so lowe for talighte And voyden hire / as soone as euere he myghte ¶ Agayns his doghter / hastiliche goth he ffor he by noyse of folk / knew hir comynge And with hir olde cote / as it myghte be He couered hire / ful sorwefully wepynge But on hir body / myghte he it nat brynge ffor rude was the clooth / and she moore of age By dayes fele / than at hir mariage ¶ Thus with hir fader / for a certein space Dwelleth this flour / of wifly pacience That neyther / by hir wordes / ne hir face Biforn the folk/ ne eek in hir absence Ne shewed she / þat hir was doon offence Ne of hir heighe estat no remembrance Ne hadde she / as by hir contenance ¶ No wonder is / for in hir grete estat Hir goost was euere / in pleyn humylitee No tendre mouth / noon herte delicat No pompe / no semblant of realtee But ful / of pacient benygnytee Discreet and pridelees / ay honurable And to hir housbonde / euere meke & stable ¶ Men speke of Iob / and moost for his humblenesse As clerkes whan hem lest konne wel endite Namely of men / but as in soothfastnesse Thogh clerkes / preyse wommen but a lite Ther kan no man / in humblesse hym acquite As wommen kan / ne kan be half so trewe As wommen been / but it be falle of newe [PART VI.] ¶ ffro Boloigne / is this Erl of Pavyk come Of which the fame vp sprong to moore & lesse And to the peples erys / alle and some Was kouth eek/ þat a newe Markisesse He with hym broghte / in swich pompe & richesse That neuere was ther seyn / with mannes eye So noble array / in al westlumbardye ¶ The Markys / which þat shoope / and knew al this Er that this Erl was come / sente his message ffor thilke / sely / poure Grisildis And she with humble herte / and glad visage Nat with no swollen thoght in hir corage Cam at his heste / and on hir knees hir sette And reuerently / and wysly she hym grette ¶ Grisilde quod he / my wil is outrely This mayden / þat shal wedded been to me Receyued be tomorwe / as really As it possible is / in myn hous to be And eek/ that euery wight in his degree Haue his estat in sittyng and seruyse And heigh plesance / as I kan best deuyse [IRats.] haue no wommen suffisant certayn The chambres for taraye / in ordynance After my lust and ther fore wolde I fayn That thyn were / al swich manere gouernance Thow knowest eek of old al my plesance Though thyn array be badde / and yuel biseye Do thow thy deuoir / at the leeste weye ¶ Nat oonly lord / that I am glad / quod she To doon youre lust but I desire also Yow for to serue / and plese in my degree With outen feyntyng and shal euere mo Ne neuere / for no wele / ne no wo Ne shal the goost with Inne myn herte stente To loue yow best with al my trewe entente ¶ And with that word / she gan the hous to dighte And tables for to sette / and beddes make And peyned hire / to doon al that she myghte Preyynge the chambreres / for goddes sake To hasten hem / and faste swepe and shake And she / the mooste seruysable of alle Hath euery chambre arrayed / and his halle ¶ Abouten vndren / gan this Erl alighte That with hym broghte / thise noble children tweye ffor which the peple / ran to seen the sighte Of hire array / so richely biseye And thanne at erst / amonges hem they seye That Walter was no fool / thogh þat hym leste To chaunge his wyf/ for it was for his beste ¶ ffor she is fairer / as they demen alle Than is Grisilde / and moore tendre of age And fairer fruyt bitwene hem sholde falle And moore plesant for hire heigh lynage Hir brother eek / so fair was of visage That hem to seen / the peple hath caught plesance Commendynge now / the Markys gouernance ¶ O. stormy peple / vnsad / and euere vntrewe Ay vndiscreet and chaungyng as a vane Delitynge euere in rumbel / þat is newe ffor lyk the moone / ay wexe ye and wane Ay ful of clappyng deere ynow a Iane Youre doom is fals / youre constance yuele preueth A ful greet fool is he / that on yow leueth ¶ Thus seyden sadde folk/ in that Citee Whan that the peple / gazed vp and doun ffor they were glad / right for the noueltee To han / a newe lady / of hir town Namoore of this / make I now mencioun But to Grisilde agayn / wol I me dresse And telle hir constance / and hir bisynesse ¶ fful bisy was Grisilde / in euery thyng That to the feste / was apertinent Right noght was she abayst of hir clothyng Thogh it were rude / and somdel eek to-rent But with glad cheere / to the yate is she went With oother folk/ to greete the Markysesse And after that/ dooth forth hir bisynesse ¶ With so glad cheere / his gestes she receyueth And so konnyngly / euerich in his degree That no defaute / no man aparceyueth But ay they wondren / what she myghte be That in so poure array / was for to se And koude swich honour / and reuerence And worthily / they preysen hir prudence ¶ In al this mene while / she ne stente This mayde / and eek hir brother to commende With al hir herte / in ful benygne entente So wel / þat no man koude hir prys amende But at the laste / whan þat thise lordes wende To sitten doun to mete / he gan to calle Grisilde / as she was bisy in his halle ¶ Grisilde quod he / as it were in his pley How liketh thee my wyf / and hir beautee Right wel quod she my lord / for in good fey A fairer / saw I neuere noon / than she I prey to god / yeue hire prosperitee And so hope I / þat he wol to yow sende Plesance ynough / vn to youre lyues ende ¶ O thyng biseke I yow / and warne alsovnum bona fide precor ac moneo / ne hanc/ illis aculeis agites / quibus alteram agitasti namque & iunior & delicacius nutrita est/ pati quantum ego vt reor non valeret/ That ye ne prike / with no tormentynge This tendre mayden / as ye han do mo ffor she is fostred / in hir norissynge Moore tendrely / and to my supposynge She koude nat aduersitee endure As koude / a poure fostred creature ¶ And whan this Walter / saw hir pacience Hir glad cheere / and no malice at al And he so ofte / had doon to hire offence And she ay sad / and constant as a wal Continuynge euere / hir Innocence ouer alvbique. This sturdy Markys / gan his herte dresse To rewen / vp on hir wyfly stedfastnesse ¶ This is ynogh / Grisilde myn quod he Be now namoore agast ne yuele apayed I haue thy feith / and thy benygnytee As wel / as euere womman was.? assayed In greet estat and poureliche arrayed Now knowe I deere wyf / thy stedfastnesse And hire in armes took / and gan hir kesse ¶ And she for wonder / took of it no keepe She herde nat what thyng he to hir seyde She ferde / as she hadde stirt out of a sleepe Til she / out of hir mazednesse abreyde Grisilde quod he / by god þat for vs deyde Thow art my wyf / noon oother I haue Ne neuere hadde / as god my soule saue ¶ This is thy doghter / which thow hast supposed To be my wyf / that oother feithfully Shal be myn heir / as I haue ay supposed Thow bare hym / in thy body trewely At Boloigne / haue I kept hem priuely Tak hem agayn / for now maistow nat seye That thow hast lorn / noon of thy children tweye ¶ And folk / þat oother weys / han seyd of me I warne hem wel / þat I haue doon this dede ffor no malice / ne for no crueltee But for tassaye in thee / thy wommanhede And nat to sleen my children / god forbede But for to kepe hem / pryuely and stille Til I thy purpos knewe / and al thy wille ¶ Whan she this herde / / aswowne doun she falleth ffor pitous ioye / and after hir swownynge She bothe hir yonge children / vn to hire calleth And in hir armes / pitously wepynge Embraceth hem / and tendrely kissynge fful lyk a moder / with hir salte terys She batheth / bothe hir visage and hir herys ¶ O which a pitous thyng it was to se Hir swownyng and hir humble voys to heere Grant mercy lord / god thanke it yow / quod she That ye han saued me / my children deere Now rekke I neuere / to been ded right heere Sith I stonde in youre loue / and in youre grace No fors of deeth / ne whan my spirit pace ¶ O tendre / o deere / o yonge children myne Youre woful moder / wende stedefastly That cruel houndes / or som foul vermyne Hadde eten yow / but god of his mercy And youre benygne fader / tendrely Hath doon yow kept and in that same stounde Al sodeynly / she swapte adoun to grounde ¶ And in hir swogh / so sadly holdeth she Hir children two / whan she gan hem tembrace That with greet sleghte / and greet difficultee The children from hir arm / they gonne arace O. many a teer / o many a pitous face Doun ran / of hem þat stoden hir bisyde Vnnethe aboute hire / myghte they abyde ¶ Walter hir gladeth / and hir sorwe slaketh She riseth vp abaysed / from hir traunce And euery wight hir ioye and feste maketh Til she / hath caught agayn hir contenance Walter hir dooth / so feithfully plesance That it was deyntee / for to seen the cheere Bitwix hem two / now they ben met yfeere ¶ Thise ladies / whan þat they / hir tyme say Han taken hire / and in to chambre goon And strepen hire / out of hir rude aray And in a clooth of gold / þat brighte shoon With a coroune / of many a riche stoon Vp on hir hed / they in to halle hir broghte And ther she was / honured as hir oghte ¶ Thus hath this pitous day / a blisful ende ffor euery man and womman / dooth his myght This day / in murthe and reuel to dispende Til on the welkne / shoon the sterres lyght ffor moore solempne / in euery mannes syght This feste was / and gretter of costage Than was / the reuel of hir mariage ¶ fful many a yeer / in heigh prosperitee Lyuen thise two / in concord and in reste And richely / his doghter maried he Vn to a lord / oon of the worthyeste Of al Ytaille / and thanne in pees and reste His wyues fader / and his court he kepeth Til that the soule / out of his body crepeth ¶ His sone / succedeth in his heritage In reste and pees / after his fader day And fortunat was eek his mariage Al putte he nat his wyf in gret assay This world is nat so strong it is no nay As it hath been / in olde tymes yore And herkneth / what this Auctour seith therfore ¶ This storie is seyd / nat for þat wyues sholde

¶ hanc historiam stilo nunc alto retexere vis[um fuit] non tum ideo / vt matronas nostri temporis [ad] imitandam huius vxoris pacienciam que mich[i] inimitabilis videtur / quam vt legentes ad imitandam saltem femine constanciam excitaren|tur

¶ vt que hec viro suo prestitit/ hoc prestare deo nostro audeat quilibet/ vt Iacobus ait Apostolus/ / Intemptator sit malorum & ipse neminem temptat/ probat tamen et sepe nos multis ac graui|bus flagellis excerceri sinit / non vt animum nostrum sciat/ quem sciuit antequam crearemur &cetera.

 ffolwen Grisilde / as in humylitee ffor it were importable / thogh they wolde But for þat euery wight in his degree Sholde be constant in aduersitee As was Grisilde / therfore Petrak writeth This storie / which he with heigh stile enditeth / ¶ ffor sith a womman / was so pacient Vn to a mortal man / wel moore vs oghte Receyuen al in gree / that god vs sent ffor gret skile is / he preue that he wroghte But he ne tempteth / no man þat he boghte As seith Seint Iame / if ye his pistel rede He preueth folk al day / it is no drede ¶ And suffreth vs / as for oure exercise With sharpe scourges / of aduersitee fful ofte to be bete / in sondry wise Nat for to knowe oure wyl / for certes he Er we were born / knew al oure freletee And for oure beste / is al his gouernance Let vs thanne lyue / in vertuous suffrance ¶ But o word lordynges / herkneth er I go It were ful hard / to fynde now a dayes In al a town / Grisildis thre or two ffor if þat they were put to swiche assayes The gold of hem / hath now so badde alayes With bras / that thogh the coigne / be fair at eye It wolde rather / breste atwo than plye ¶ ffor which heere / for the wyues loue of Bathe Whos lyf/ and al hir secte / god mayntene In heigh maistrie / or ellis were it scathe I wol with lusty herte / fressh and grene Seye yow a song to glade yow I wene And lat vs stynte / of ernestful matere Herkneth my song that seith in this manere ¶ Here is ended the tale / of the clerk of/ Oxenford. ¶ Lenuoy de Chaucer. GRisilde is deed / and eek hir pacience And bothe atones / buryed in Ytaille ffor which I crye / in open audience No wedded man / so hardy be tasssaille His wyues pacience / in trust to fynde Grisildis / for in certein he shal faille ¶ O noble wyues / ful of heigh prudence Lat noon humilitee / youre tonge nayle Ne lat no clerk / haue cause or diligence To write of yow / a storie of swich meruaile As of Grisildis / pacient and kynde Lest Chichyuache / yow swelwe in hir entrayle ¶ ffolweth Ekko / that holdeth no silence But euere answereth / at the countretaile Beth nat bidaffed / for youre Innocence But sharply / tak on yow the gouernaile Emprinteth wel / this lesson in youre mynde ffor commune profit/ sith it may auaile ¶ Ye Archewyues / stondeth at defense Syn ye be strong as is a gret Camaile Ne suffreth nat þat men yow doon offense And sklendre wyues / fieble as in bataile Beth egre / as is a tigre yond in Ynde Ay clappeth as a Mille / I yow consaile ¶ Ne dreed hem nat dooth hem no reuerence ffor thogh thyn housbond / armed be in maile The arwes / of thy crabbed eloquence Shal perce his brest and eek his auentaile In Ialousie / I rede eek thow hym bynde And thow shalt make hym couche / as dooth a Quaile ¶ If thow be fair / ther folk ben in presence Shewe thow thy visage / and thyn aparaile If thow be foul / be fre of thy dispence To gete thee freendes / ay do thy trauaile Be ay of cheere / as light as leef on lynde And lat hym care and wepe / and wrynge & wayle¶ Explicit. APPENDIX TO GROUP E, § 2. [? Original, but rejected, End-Link to the Clerk's Tale, perhaps following l. 1162, with which the paraphrase of Petrarch's Latin ends, or l. 1169.] ¶ This worthy Clerk whan ended was his tale[on leaf 191] Oure hoost seyde / and swoor by goddes bones Me were leuere / than a barel ale My wyf at hom / had herd this legende ones This is / a gentil tale for the nones As to my purpos / wiste ye my wille But thyng that wol nat be / lat it be stille GROUP C. FRAGMENT IV. § 1. THE DOCTOR'S TALE. HENGWRT MS. ¶ Here bigynneth / the Phisiciens tale. THer was / as telleth Titus Liuius A knyght/ that called was Virginius ffulfild of honour / and of worthynesse And strong of freendes / and of greet richesse ¶ This knyght a doghter hadde by his wif Ne children hadde he mo / in al his lif ffair was this mayde / in excellent beautee Abouen euery wight þat man may see ffor Nature hath / with souereyn diligence Yformed hire / in so greet excellence As thogh she wolde seyn / lo I nature Thus kan I forme / and peynte a creature Whan þat me list who kan me countrefete Pigmalion noght thogh he ay forge and bete¶ quere in Metha|morphosios. Or graue / or peynte / for I dar wel seyn Apelles Zanzis / sholde werche in veyn¶ Apelles fecit mirabile opus in tumulo darij. Vi|de in Alexandri libro .6.o de zanze in libro Tullij. Outher to graue / or peynte / or forge / or bete If they presumeden / me to countrefete ffor he that is / the formere principal Hath maked me / his vicaire general To forme and peynten / erthely creaturis Right as me list and ech thyng in my cure is Vnder the Moone / that may wane and waxe And for my werk right no thyng wol I axe My lord and I / been ful of oon acord I made hire / to the worshipe of my lord So do I / alle myne othere creatures What colour þat they han / or what figures Thus semeth me / that nature wolde seye This mayde of age / xij. yeer was and tweye In which þat nature / hadde swich delit ffor / right as she kan peynte a lilye whit And reed a Rose / right with swich peynture She peynted hath / this noble creature Er she were born / vp-on hir lymes free Wher as by right swiche colours sholden be And Phebus / dyed hath hir tresses grete Lyk to the stremys / of his burned hete And if þat excellent was hir beautee A thousand fold / moore vertuous was she In hire / ne lakked no condicion That is to preyse / as by discrecion As wel in goost as body / chaast was she ffor which / she floured in virginitee With all humilitee / and abstinence With all atemperance / and pacience With mesure eek / of beryng and array Discreet she was / in answeryng alway Thogh she were wise Pallas / dar I seyn Hir facound eek / ful wommanly and pleyn No countrefeted termes / hadde she To seme wys / but after hir degree She spak/ and alle hir wordes / moore and lesse Sownynge in vertu / and in gentilesse Shamefast she was / in maydens shamefastnesse Constant in herte / and euere in bisynesse To dryue hire out of ydel slogardye Bacus hadde of hir mouth / right no maistrye ffor wyn and youthe / dooth Venus encresse As men in fyr / wil casten oille / or gresse And of hir owene vertu / vnconstreyned She hath ful ofte tyme / syk hir feyned ffor þat she wolde / fleen the compaignye Where likly was / to treten of folye As is at festes / reuels / and at daunces That been occasions / of daliaunces Swich thyng maken children for to be To soone rype / and boold / as men may se Which is ful perilous / and hath be yoore ffor al to soone / may they lerne loore Of boldnesse / whan she woxe is a wyf/ ¶ And ye Maistresses / in youre olde lyf That lordes doghtres / han in gouernance Ne taketh of my wordes / no displesance Thenketh / þat ye been set in gouernynges Of lordes doghtres / oonly for two thynges ¶ Owther / for ye han kept youre honestee Or ellis / ye han falle in freletee And knowen wel ynow / the olde daunce And han forsaken fully / swich meschaunce ffor euere mo / therfore / for Cristes sake To teche hem vertu / looke þat ye ne slake ¶ A theef of venyson / that hath forlaft His likerousnesse / and al his olde craft Kan kepe a fforest best of any man Now kepeth wel / for if ye wole ye kan Looke wel þat ye / vn-to no vice assente Lest ye be dampned / for youre wikke entente ffor who so dooth / a traytour is certeyn And taketh kepe / of that þat I shal seyn Of alle treson / souerayn pestilence¶ nota Is / whan a wight bitrayseth Innocence ¶ Ye fadres / and ye modres eek also Thogh ye han children / be it oon or mo Youre is the charge / of al hir surueance Whil þat they been / vnder youre gouernance Beth war / if by ensample of youre lyuynge Or by youre necligence / in chastisynge That they perisse / for I dar wel seye If þat they doon / ye shul it deere abeye Vnder a Shepherde / softe and necligent The wolf hath many a sheepe / and lomb to-rent Suffiseth oon ensample / now as heere ffor I moot turne agayn to my matere ¶ This mayde of which / I wol this tale expresse So kepte hir self hir neded no maistresse ffor in hir lyuyng maydens myghten rede As in a book euery good word / or dede That longeth / to a mayden vertuous She was so prudent and so bounteuous ffor which the fame out sproong on euery syde Bothe of hir beautee / and hir bountee / wyde That thurgh that land / they preysed hire echone That loued vertu / saue enuye allone That sory is / of oother mennes wele¶ Augustinus. And glad is / of his sorwe / and his vnheele The doctor / maketh this discripcioun This mayde / vp-on a day / wente in the toun Toward a temple / with hir moder deere As is / of yonge maydens the manere ¶ Now was ther thanne / a Iustice in that toun That gouernour was / of that Regioun And so bifel / this Iuge hise eyen caste Vp-on this mayde / auysynge hym ful faste As she cam forby / ther as this Iuge stood Anoon his herte chaunged / and his mood So was he caught with beautee of this mayde And to hym self / ful pryuely he sayde This mayde shal be myn / for any man Anon the feend / in-to his herte ran And taughte hym sodeynly / þat he by slyghte This mayden / to his purpos wynne myghte ffor certes / by no force / ne by no meede Hym thoughte / he was nat able for to speede ffor she was strong of freendes / and eek she Confermed was / in swich souerayn bountee That wel he wiste / he myghte hir neuere wynne As for to make hire / with hir body synne ffor which / by greet deliberacioun He sente after a cherl / was in the town Which þat he knew / for subtil and for bold This Iuge vn-to this cherl / his tale hath told In secree wise / and made hym to ensure He sholde telle it to no creature And if he dide / he sholde lese his heed Whan þat assented was / this cursed reed Glad was this Iuge / and maked hym gret cheere And yaf hym yiftes / preciouse and deere ¶ Whan shapen was / al hir conspiracie ffro point to point how þat his lecherie Parfourned sholde been / ful subtilly As ye shul heere it after openly ¶ Hom goth the cherl / that highte Claudius This false Iuge / that highte Apius So was his name / for this is no fable But knowen / for historial thyng notable The sentence of it sooth is out of doute This false Iuge / gooth now faste aboute To hasten his delit al that he may And so bifel / soone after on a day This false Iuge / as telleth vs the storie As he was wont sat in his Consistorie And yaf his domes / vp-on sondry cas ¶ This false cherl cam forth / a ful gret pas And seyde / lord if þat it be youre wille As dooth me right vp-on this pitous bille In which / I pleyne vp-on Virginius And if þat he wol seyn / it is nat thus I wol it preue / and fynde good witnesse That sooth is / that my bille wol expresse ¶ This Iuge answerde / of this in his absence I may nat yeue / diffynytif sentence Lat do hym calle / and I wol gladly heereaudire Thow shalt haue al right and no wrong heerehic Virginius cam to wite / the Iuges wille And right anon / was rad this cursed bille The sentence of it was as ye shul heere ¶ To yow my lord / sire Apius so deere Sheweth / youre poure seruant Claudius How þat a knyght called Virginius Agayns the lawe / agayn al equitee Holdeth expres / agayn the wyl of me My seruant which þat is my thral by right Which fro myn hous / was stole vp-on a nyght Whil that she was ful yong this wol I preue By witnesse lord / so þat it nat yow greue She nys his doghter nat what so he seye Wher to yow / my lord the Iuge I preye Yeld me my thral / if þat it be youre wille Lo / this was al the sentence / of his bille ¶ Virginius / gan vp-on the cherl biholde But hastily / er he his tale tolde And wolde haue proued it as sholde a knyght And eek by witnessynge / of many a wight That it was fals / that seyde his Aduersarie This cursed Iuge / wolde no thyng tarie Ne here a word / moore of Virginius But yaf his Iuggement and seyde thus / ¶ I deme anon / this cherl / his seruant haue Thou shalt no lenger / in thyn hous hir saue Go bryng hir forth / and put hire in oure warde The cherl shal han his thral / this I awarde ¶ And whan / this worthy knyght Virginius Thurgh sentence / of this Iustice Apius Moste by force / his deere doghter yeuen Vn-to the Iuge / in lecherie to lyuen He goth hym hom / and sette hym in his halle And leet anoon / his deere doghter calle And with a face deed / as asshen colde Vp-on hir humble face / he gan biholde With fadres pitee / stikyng thurgh his herte Al wolde he / from his purpos nat conuerte ¶ Doghter quod he / Virginia by thy name Ther been two weyes / outher deeth / or shame That thow most suffre / allas þat I was bore ffor neuere / thow deseruedest wherfore To dyen / with a swerd / or with a knyf O deere doghter / endere of my lyf Which I haue fostred vp / with swich plesance That thow were neuere / out of my remembrance O doghter / which that art my laste wo And in my lyf my laste ioye also O gemme of chastitee / in pacience Tak thow thy deeth / for this is my sentence ffor loue / and nat for hate / thow most be deed My pitous hand / moot smyten of thyn heed Allas / þat euere Apius thee say Thus hath he falsly / Iugged thee to day And tolde hire al the cas / as ye bifore Han herd / nat nedeth for to telle it moore ¶ O mercy deere fader / quod this mayde And with that word / she bothe hir armes layde Aboute his nekke / as she was wont to do The teeris borste / out of hir eyen two And seyde / goode fader / shal I dye Is ther no grace / is ther no remedye ¶ No certes / deere doghter myn quod he ¶ Thanne yif me leyser / fader myn quod she My deeth for to compleyne / a litel space ffor pardee Iepte / yaf his doghter grace¶ Iudicum cap.o xj.o ffor to compleyne / er he hir slowe allasfuit illo tempore lepte Galaandes. And god it woot no thyng was hir trespas But for she ran / hir fader for to se To welcome hym / with greet solempnytee And with that word / she fil aswowne anon And after / whan hir swownyng is agon She riseth vp / and to hir fader sayde Blessed be god / þat I shal dye a mayde Yif me my deeth / er þat I haue a shame Dooth with youre child / youre wyl a goddes name And with that word / she preyed hym ful ofte That with his swerd / he wolde smyte softe And with that word / aswowne doun she fil ¶ Hir fader / with ful sorweful herte and wil Hir heed of smoot and by the tope it hente And to the Iuge / he gan it to presente As he sat yet in doom / in Consistorie ¶ And whan the Iuge it saw / as seith the storie He bad to take hym / and anhange hym faste But right anon / a thousand peple In thraste To saue the knyght for routhe and for pitee ffor knowen was / the false Iniquitee ¶ The peple anon / hadde suspect in this thyng By manere / of the cherles chalangyng That it was / by the assent of Apius They wisten wel / þat he was lecherus ffor which / vn-to this Apius they gon And caste hym in a prison / right anon Ther as he slow hym self / and Claudius That seruant was / vn-to this Apius Was demed / for to hange vp on a tree But that Virginius / of his pitee So preyde for hym / that he was exiled And ellis certes / he hadde been bigyled The remenant were anhanged / moore and lesse That were consentant of this cursednesse ¶ Heere may men seen / how synne hath his merite Beth war / for no man woot whom god wol smyte In no degree / ne in which manere wise The worm of conscience / may agrise Of wikked lyf / thogh it so pryuee be That no man woot ther of / but god and he ffor be he lewed man / or ellis lered He noot how soone / that he shal been afered Ther-fore I rede yow / this conseil take fforsaketh synne / er synne yow forsake ¶ Here endeth the Phisiciens tale. ¶ The myry talkyng of the Hoost to the Phisicien and the Pardoner. Oure Hoost gan to swere / as he were wood Harrow quod he / by nayles and by blood This was a fals cherl / and a fals Iustise As shameful deeth / as herte may deuyse Come to thise Iuges / and hir Aduocatz Algate this sely made / is slayn allas Allas / to deere boghte she beautee Wherfore I seye alday / þat men may se That yiftes of ffortune / and of nature Been cause of deeth / to many a creature . . . . . . . . . .no gap in the MS. Of bothe yiftes / þat I speke of now Men han ful ofte / moore for harm than prow ¶ But trewely / myn owene maister deere This is a pitous tale / for to heere But nathelees passe ouer / is no fors I pray to god / so saue thy gentil cors And eek thyne vrynals / and thy Iurdones Thyn Ypocras / and eek thy galyones And euery boyste / ful of thy letuarie God blesse hem / and oure lady Seinte Marie So mote I then / thow art a propre man And lyk a prelat / by Seint Ronyan Seyde I nat wel / I kan nat speke in terme But wel I woot thow doost myn herte to erme That I almoost haue caught a Cardynacle By corpus bones / but if I haue triacle Or ellis a draghte / of moyste and corny ale Or but I heere anon / a murye tale Myn herte is lost for pitee of this mayde ¶ Thow beel amy / thow Pardoner he sayde Tel vs som myrthe / or Iapes right anon ¶ It shal be doon quod he / by Seint Ronyon But first quod he / heere at this ale stake I wol bothe drynke / and eten of a Cake ¶ And right anon / thise gentils gonne to crye Nay lat hym telle vs / of no ribawdye Tel vs som moral thyng / þat we may leere Som wit / and thanne wol we gladly heere ¶ I graunte ywis quod he / but I moot thynke Vpon som honeste thyng whil þat I drynke ¶ Radix omnium malorum / est Cupiditas // Ad Thimotheum. 6o.. ¶ Here bigynneth the Prologe of the Pardoners tale. Lordynges quod he / in chirches whan I preche I peyne me / to han an hauteyn speche And rynge it out as round as gooth a belle ffor I kan / al by rote that I telle My theme is alwey oon / and euere was Radix malorum / est cupiditas ¶ ffirst I pronounce / whennes þat I come And thanne my bulles / shewe I alle & some Oure lige lordes seel / on my patente That shewe I first my body to warente That no man be so boold / ne preest ne clerk Me to destourbe / of Cristes holy werk And after that thanne telle I forth my tales Bulles of Popes / and of Cardynales Of Patriarkes / and Bisshopes I shewe And in latyn / I speke a wordes fewe To saffron with / my predicacion And for to stire hem / to deuocion ¶ Thanne shewe I forth / my longe cristal stones Yerammed ful / of cloutes and of bones Relikes been they / as wenen they echon Thanne haue I in a laton / a shulder bon Which þat was / of an holy Iewes sheepe Goode men I seye / tak of my wordes keepe If þat this boon be wasshe / in any welle If cow / or calf or sheepe / or Oxe swelle That any worm hath ete / or worm ystonge Taak water of that welle / and wasshe his tonge And it is hool anoon / and forther moor Of pokkes / and of Scabbe / and euery soor Shal euery sheepe be hool / þat of this welle Drynketh a draughte / taak kepe eek what I telle ¶ If þat the goode man / þat the bestes oweth Wol euery wike / er þat the cok hym croweth ffastynge / drynken of this welle a draghte As thilke holy Iew / oure eldres taghte Hise bestes and his stoor / shal multiplie And sire also / it heeleth Ialousie ffor thogh a man / be falle in Ialous rage Lat maken with this water / his potage And neuere shal he moore / his wyf mystriste Thogh he the soothe / of hir defaute wiste Al hadde she / taken preestes / two or thre ¶ Heere is a Miteyn eek / þat ye may se He þat his hand / wol putte / in this Mitayn He shal haue / multiplyyng of his grayn Whan he hath sowen / be it whete or Otes So þat / he / offre pens / or ellis grotes ¶ Goode men and wommen / o thyng warne I yow If any wight be in this chirche now That hath doon synne horrible / that he Dar nat for shame / of it yshryuen be Or any womman / be she yong or old That hath ymaked / hir housbond Cokewold Swich folk/ shal haue no power / ne no grace To offren to my Relikes / in this place And who so fyndeth hym / out of swich blame He wol come vp / and offre a goddes name And I assoille hym / by the auctoritee Which þat by bulle / ygraunted was to me ¶ By this gaude / have I wonne / yeer by yeer An hundred mark sith I was Pardoner I stonde lyk a Clerk/ in my pulpet And whan that lewed peple / is doun yset I preche so / as ye han herd bifore And telle / an hundred false Iapes more Thanne peyne I me / to strecche forth the nekke And Est and west vp-on the peple I bekke As dooth a dowue / sittyng on a berne Myne handes / and my tonge goon so yerne That it is ioye / to se my bisynesse Of Auarice / and of swich cursednesse Is al my prechyng for to make hem free To yeuen hir pens / and namely vn-to me ffor myn entente is nat but for to wynne And no thyng for correccioun of synne I rekke neuere / whan þat they been beryed Thogh þat hir soules / goon a blakeberyed ffor certes / many a predicacion Comth ofte tyme / of yuel entencion ¶ Som for plesance of folk and flaterye To been auanced / by ypocrisie And som for veyne glorie / and som for hate ffor whan I dar / noon oother weyes debate Thanne wol I stynge hym / with my tonge smerte In prechyng so þat he shal nat asterte To been diffamed falsly / if þat he Hath trespased / to my bretheren / or to me ffor though I telle noght his propre name Men shal wel knowe / that it is the same By signes / and by othere circumstances Thus quyte I folk that doon vs displesances Thus spete I out my venym vnder hewe Of holynesse / to seme holy and trewe But shortly / myn entente I wol deuyse I preche of no thyng but for coueitise Ther-fore my theme is yet and euere was Radix malorum / est Cupiditas ¶ Thus kan I preche / agayn that same vice Which þat I vse / and that is Auarice But though my self be gilty in that synne Yet kan I make / oother folk to twynne ffrom Auarice / and soore to repente But that is nat my principal entente I preche no thyng but for coueitise Of this matere / it oghte ynow suffise ¶ Thanne telle I hem / ensamples many oon Of olde stories / longe tyme agoon ffor lewed peple / louen tales olde Swiche thynges / kan they wel reporte & holde What trowe ye / þat whiles I may preche And wynne / gold and siluer / for I teche That I wol lyue in pouerte / wilfully Nay nay / I thoghte it neuere trewely ffor I wol preche / and begge / in sondry landes I wol nat do no labour / with myne handes Ne make baskettes / and lyue ther by By cause / I wol nat beggen ydelly I wol / none of the Apostles countrefete I wol haue moneye / wolle / chese / and whete Al were it yeuen / of the pouerest page Or of the pouereste widwe / in a Village Al sholde hir children / sterue for famyne Nay I wol drynke / licour of the vyne And haue a ioly wenche / in euery toun But herkneth lordynges / in conclusioun Youre likyng is / þat I shal telle a tale Now haue I dronke / a draghte of corny Ale By god I hope / I shal yow telle a thyng That shal by reson / been at youre likyng ffor thogh my self be / a ful vicious man A moral tale / yet I yow telle kan Which I am wont to preche / for to wynne Now holde youre pees / my tale I wol bigynne [H]ere bigynneth / the Pardoners tale. IN fflandres / whilom was a compaignye Of yonge folk that haunteden folye As Riot hasard / Stewes / and Tauernes Where as with harpes / lutes / and gyternes They daunce / and pleyen at dees / bothe day & nyght And ete also and drynke / ouer hir myght Thurgh which / they doon the deuel sacrifise With-Inne that deueles temple / in cursed wise By superfluytee / abhomynable Hir othes been so grete / and so dampnable That it is grisly / for to heere hem swere Oure blissed lordes body / they to-tere Hem thoughte / that Iewes / rente hym noght ynough And eech of hem / at otheres synne lough And right anon / thanne coomen Tombesteres ffetys and smale / and yonge ffrutesteres Syngeris with harpes / Baudes / waufereres Whiche been / the verray deueles Officers To kyndle and blowe / the fyr of lecherye That is annexed / vn-to glotonye The holy writ take I / to my witnesse That luxure / is in wyn / and dronkenesse¶ Nolite inebriari vino in quo est luxuria ¶ Lo how þat dronken loth / vnkyndely Lay by his doghtres two / vnwityngly So dronke he was / he nyste what he wroghte Herodes / who so wel the stories soghte [. . . . . . . . . . no spurious lines in this MS.] Whan he of wyn was replet at his feste Right at his owene table / he yaf his heste To sleen the Baptist Iohn / ful giltelees Senec seith a good word doutelees ¶ He seith / he kan no difference fynde¶ Nota Bitwix a man / that is out of his mynde And a man / which þat is dronkelewe But that woodnesse / yfallen in a sherewe Perseuereth lenger / than dooth dronkenesse O glotonye / ful of cursednesse O cause first of oure confusion O original / of oure dampnacion Til Crist hadde boght vs / with his blood agayn Lo how deere / shortly for to sayn Aboght was / thilke cursed vileynye Corupt was al this world for glotonye Adam oure fader/ and his wyf also ffro Paradys / to labour and to wo Were dryuen for that vice / it is no drede ffor whil þat Adam fasted / as I rede He was in Paradys / and whan þat he// Ieronimus contra Iouinianum // Quamdiu Ieiunau[it Adam] in paradiso fuit / comedit & eiectus est. sta[tim] duxit vxorem. Eet of the frut defended on a tree Anon he was out cast to wo and peyne O glotonye / on thee wel oghte vs pleyne ¶ O wiste a man / how manye maladies ffolwen of excesse / and of glotonyes He wolde been / the moore mesurable Of his diete / sittyng at his table Allas the shorte throte / the tendre mouth Maketh / þat Est and West and North and South In erthe / in Eyr / in Water / men to swynke To gete a gloton / deyntee mete and drynke Of this matere / o Paul / wel kanstow trete Mete vn-to wombe / and wombe eek vn-to mete// esca ventri et venter escis deus autem & hunc & illam destruet/ Shal god destroyen bothe / as Paulus seith Allas a foul thyng is it by my feith To seye this word / and fouler is the dede Whan man so drynketh / of the white & rede That of his throte / he maketh his pryuee Thurgh / thilke cursed superfluite ¶ The Apostle wepyng seith ful pitously// Ad Philipenses capitulo 3o. Ther walken manye / of whiche yow toold haue I I seye it now wepyng with pitous voys Ther been enemys / of Cristes croys Of whiche the ende is deth / wombe is hir god O wombe / o bely / o stynkyng cod ffulfilled of dong and of corrupcioun At either ende of thee / foul is the soun How greet labour / and cost is thee to fynde Thise Cokes / how they stampe / & streyne / & grynde And turnen substance / in-to accident To fulfillen al / the likerous talent Out of the harde bones / knokke they The mary / for they caste nat awey That may go thurgh the golet softe and soote Of Spicerie / of lief / and bark/ and roote Shal been his Sauce / ymaked by delit To make hym yet a newer appetit But certes / he that haunteth swiche delices¶ qui autem in delicijs est viuens / mortuus est / Is deed / whil þat he lyueth in tho vices ¶ A lecherous thyng is wyn // and dronkenesse¶ luxuriosa res / vinum Is ful of stryuyng and of wrecchednesse¶ et contumeliosa ebrietas O dronke man / disfigured is thy face Sour is thy breeth / foul artow to embrace And thurgh thy dronke nose / semeth the soun As thogh thou seydest ay / Sampsoun Sampsoun And yet god woot Sampson drank neuere no wyn Thou fallest as it were a stiked swyn Thy tonge is lost and al thyn honest cure ffor dronkenesse / is verray sepulture Of mannes wit and his discrecion In whom þat drynke / hath domynacion He kan no conseil kepe / it is no drede Now kepe yow / fro the white and fro the rede And namely / fro the white wyn of lepe That is to selle / in ffisshstrete / or in Chepe This wyn of Spaigne / crepeth subtilly In othere wynes / growynge faste by Of which / ther riseth swich fumositee That whan a man / hath dronken draghtes thre And weneth þat he be / at hom in Chepe He is in Spaigne / right at the toune of lepe Nat at the Rochel / ne at Burdeux toun And thanne wol he seyn / Sampson Sampsoun ¶ But herkneth lordynges / o word I yow preye That alle the souereyn actes / dar I seye Of victories / in the olde testament Thurgh verray god / that is omnipotent Were doon in abstinence / and in prayere Looketh the Bible / and ther ye may it leere ¶ Looke Attilla / the grete conquerour Deyde in his sleepe / with shame and dishonour Bledyng at his nose / in dronkenesse A Capitayn / sholde lyue in sobrenesse ¶ And ouer al this / auyseth yow right wel What was comaunded / vn-to Lamwel¶ Noli vinum dare &c. Nat Samuel / but Lamwel seye I Redeth the Bible / and fynd it expresly Of wyn yeuynge / to hem þat han Iustise Namoore of this / for it may wel suffise ¶ And now / that I haue spoken of glotonye Now wol I / yow defende hasardrye Hasard / is verray moder of lesynges¶ Policraticilibro 1o. Men|daciorum & peruiriarum mater est Alea. And of deceite / and cursed forswerynges Blaspheme of Crist manslaughtre / and wast also Of catel / and of tyme / and forthermo It is reproue / and contrarie of honour ffor to ben holden / a commune hasardour And euere the hyer / he is of estaat The moore is he holden desolat If þat a Prynce / vseth hasardrye In alle gouernance / and policye He is / as by commune opynyon Yholde / the lasse in reputacion ¶ Stilbon / that was a wys Embassadour Was sent to Corynthe / in ful gret honour ffro lacedomye / to make hire alliaunce And whan he cam / hym happed par chaunce That alle the gretteste / þat were of that lond Pleiynge at the hasard / he hem fond ffor which as soone / as it myghte be He stal hym hom agayn / to his contree And seyde / ther wol I nat lese my name Ny wol nat take on me / so greet defame Yow for to allie / vn-to none hasardours Sendeth / othere wise Embassadours ffor by my trouthe / me were leuere dye Than I yow sholde / to hasardours allye ffor ye that been / so glorious in honours Shal nat allye yow / with hasardours As by my wyl / ne as by my tretee This wise Philosophre / thus seyde he ¶ Looke eek / that to the kyng Demetrius The kyng of Parthes / as the book seith vs Sente hym a paire of dees / of gold in scorn ffor he hadde vsed / hasard ther biforn ffor which / he heeld his glorie / or his renoun At no value / or reputacioun Lordes may fynden / oother manere pley Honeste ynow / to dryue the day awey ¶ Now wol I speke / of oothes false and grete A word or two / as olde bokes trete ¶ Greet sweryng is a thyng abhomynable And fals sweryng is yet moore repreuable The heighe god / forbad sweryng at al Witnesse on Mathew / but in special¶ Nolite iurare omnino Mathei 5o Of sweryng seith the holy Ieremye¶ Ieremie .4o. Iurabis in veritate in Iudicio & Iusticia Thow shalt swere sooth thyne othes / & nat lye And swere in doom / and eek in rightwisnesse But ydel sweryng is a cursednesse ¶ Bihoold and se / þat in the firste table Of heighe goddes hestes honurable How þat the seconde heste of hym / is this Take nat my name / in ydel or amys Lo rather he forbedeth · swich sweryng Than homycide / or many a cursed thyng I seye / þat as by ordre / thus it standeth This knoweth / that hise hestes vnderstandeth How that the seconde heste of god / is that And forther ouer / I wol thee telle al plat That vengeance / shal nat parten from his hous That of hise othes / is to outrageous By goddes precious herte / and by his nayles And by the blood of Crist that is in hayles Seuene is my chance / and thyn is cynk & treye By goddes armes / if thow falsly pleye This dagger / shal thurgh out thyn herte go This frut cometh / of the bicche bones two fforsweryng / Ire / falsnesse / homycide Now for the loue of Crist that for vs dyde Lete youre othes / bothe grete and smale But sires / now wol I / telle forth my tale ¶ Thise Riotours thre / of which I telle Longe erst er Pryme ronge of any belle Were set hem / in a Tauerne to drynke And as they sat they herde a belle klynke Biforn a cors / was caryed to his graue That oon of hem / gan callen to his knaue Go bet quod he / and axe redily What cors is this / that passeth heer forby And looke / þat thow reporte his name wel ¶ Sire quod this boy / it nedeth neuer a del It was me told / er ye cam heer two houres He was pardee / an old felawe of youres And sodeynly / he was yslayn to nyght ffordronke / as he sat on his bench vp right Ther cam a priuee theef / men clepeth deeth That in this contree / al the peple sleeth And with his spere / he smoot his herte atwo And wente his wey / with-outen wordes mo He hath / a thousand slayn this pestilence And maister / er ye come in his presence Me thynketh / that it were necessarie ffor to be war / of swich an Aduersarie Beeth redy / for to meete hym euere moore Thus taughte me my dame / I sey namoore ¶ By Seinte Marie / seyde this Tauerner The child seith sooth / for he hath slayn this yer Henne ouer a myle / with-Inne a greet village Bothe man and womman / child and hyne & page I trowe / his habitacion be there To been auysed / greet wisdom it were Er that he dide / a man a dishonour ¶ Ye goddes armes / quod this Riotour Is it swich peril / with hym for to meete I shal hym seke / by wey / and eek by Strete I make avow / to goddes digne bones Herkneth felawes / we thre been al ones Lat ech of vs / holde vp his hand to oother And ech of vs / bicome ootheres brother And we wol sleen / this false traytour deeth He shal be slayn / he þat so manye sleeth By goddes dignytee / er it be nyght ¶ Togidres han thise thre / hir trouthes plyght To lyue and dyen / ech of hem with oother As thogh he were / his owene ybore brother And vp they stirte / al dronken / in this rage And forth they goon / towardes that village Of which the Tauernner / hadde spoke biforn And many a grisly ooth / thanne han they sworn And Cristes blessed body / they to-rente Deeth shal be deed / if they may hym hente ¶ Whan they han goon / nat fully a myle Right as they wolde / han treden ouer a style An old man and a poure / with hem mette This olde man / ful mekely hem grette And seyde thus / now lordes god yow se ¶ The proudeste / of thise Riotours thre Answerde agayn / what carl with sory grace Why artow al forwrapped / saue thy face Why lyuestow so longe / in so greet age ¶ This olde man / gan looke in his visage And seyde thus / for I ne kan nat fynde A man / thogh þat I walked in-to Inde Neither in Citee / ne in no village That wolde chaunge / his youthe for myn age And ther-fore moot I han / myn age stille As longe tyme / as it is goddes wille ¶ Ne deeth allas / ne wol nat haue my lyf Thus walke I / lyk a restelees caytyf And on the ground / which is my modres gate I knokke with my staf / bothe erly and late And seye / leeue moder leet me In Lo how I vanysshe / flessh & blood & skyn Allas / whan shal my bones / been at reste Moder / with yow / wolde I chaunge my cheste That in my chambre / longe tyme hath be Ye for an heyre clowt to wrappe me But yet to me / she wol nat do that grace ffor which ful pale / and welked is my face But sires / to yow / it is no curteisye To speken / to an old man vileynye But he trespase in word / or ellis in dede In holy writ ye may your self wel rede ¶ Agayns an old man / hoor vp-on his heed¶ coram canuto capite con|surg[eRats Ye shal arise / wher-fore I yeue yow reed Ne dooth vn-to an old man / noon harm now Namoore than þat ye wolde / men dide to yow In age // if þat ye so longe abyde And god be with yow / wher ye go or ryde I moot go thider / as I haue to go ¶ Nay olde cherl / by god thow shalt nat so Seyde / this oother hasardour anon Thow partest nat so lightly / by Seint Iohn Thow speeke right now / of thilke traytour deeth That in this contree / alle oure freendes sleeth Haue here my trouthe / as thow art his espye Tel wher he is / or thow shalt it abye By god / and by the holy sacrament ffor soothly / thow art oon of his assent To sleen vs yonge folk thow false theef/ ¶ Now sires quod he / if þat yow be so leef To fynde deeth / turn vp this croked wey ffor in that groue / I lafte hym by my fey Vnder a tree / and ther he wol abyde Nat for youre boost he wol hym no thyng hyde Se ye that ook right ther ye schal hym fynde God saue yow / that boghte agayn man-kynde And yow amende / thus seyde this olde man ¶ And euerich / of thise Riotours ran Til he cam to that tree / and ther they founde Of floryns fyne / of gold / ycoyned rounde Wel ny an .viij. busshels / as hem thoughte No lenger thanne / after deeth they soughte But ech of hem / so glad was of the sighte ffor þat the floryns / been so faire and brighte That doun they sette hem / by this precious hoord The worste of hem / he spak the firste word ¶ Bretheren quod he / taak kepe / what þat I seye My wit is greet thogh þat I bourde and pleye This tresor hath ffortune / vn-to vs ȝeuen In myrthe and iolitee / oure lyf to lyuen And lightly as it cometh / so wol we spende Ey goddes precious dignytee / who wende To day / that we sholde han / so fair a grace But myghte this gold / be caried fro this place Hoom to myn hous / or ellis vn-to youres ffor wel ye woot that al this gold is oures Thanne were we / in heigh felicitee But trewely / by daye it may nat be Men wolde seyn / þat we were theues stronge And for oure owene tresor / doon vs honge This tresor / moste ycaried be by nyghte As wisly / and as sleyly / as it myghte Therfore I rede / that cut amonges vs alle Be drawe / and lat se / wher the cut wol falle And he þat hath the cut with herte blithe Shal renne to towne / and that ful swithe And brynge vs / breed / and wyn / ful priuely And two of vs / shal kepen subtilly This tresor wel / and if he wol nat tarye Whan it is nyght we wol this tresor carye By oon assent wher as vs thynketh best That oon of hem / the cut broghte in his fest And bad hem drawe / and looke wher it wol falle And it fel / on the yongeste of hem alle And forth toward the town / he wente anon And also soone / as þat he was agon That oon of hem / spak thus vn-to that oother Thow knowest wel / thow art my sworn brother Thy profit wol I telle thee anon Thow woost wel / þat oure felawe is agon And heere is gold / and that ful greet plentee That shal departed been / among vs thre But nathelees / if I kan shape it so That it departed were / among vs two Hadde I nat doon / a freendes torn to thee ¶ That oother answerde / I noot how that may be He woot þat the gold / is with vs tweye What shal we doon / what shal we to hym seye ¶ Shal it be conseil / seyde the firste shrewe And I shal telle / in a wordes fewe What we shul doon / and brynge it wel aboute ¶ I graunte quod that oother / out of doute That by my trouthe / I wol thee nat biwreye ¶ Now quod the firste / thow woost wel we be tweye And two of vs / shul strenger be than oon Looke whan þat he is set that right anon Arys / as though thow woldest with hym pleye And I shal ryue hym / thurgh the sydes tweye Whil that thow strogelest with hym / as in game And with thy daggere / looke thow do the same And thanne shal / al this gold departed be My deere freend / bitwixe thee and me Thanne may we bothe / oure lustes al fulfille And pleye at dees / right at oure owene wille And thus acorded been / thise sherewes tweye To sleen the thridde / as ye han herd me seye ¶ This yongeste / which that wente to the toun fful ofte in herte / he rolleth vp and doun The beautee of thise floryns / newe & brighte O lord quod he / if so were þat I myghte Haue al this tresor / to my self allone Ther is no man / þat lyueth vnder the trone Of god / that sholde lyue / so myrie as I And at the laste / the feend oure enemy Putte in his thoght þat he sholde poyson beye With which he myghte sleen / his felawes tweye ffor why / the feend foond hym / in swich lyuynge That he hadde leue / hym to sorwe brynge ffor this was outrely / his ful entente To sleen hem bothe / and neuere to repente ¶ And forth he goth / no lenger wolde he tarye In to the toun / vn-to Apothecarye And preyed hym / þat he hym wolde selle Som poyson / that he myghte his rattes quelle And eek ther was / a polcat in his hawe That as he seyde / his capons hadde yslawe And fayn he wolde / wreke hym if he myghte On vermyn / that destroyed hym by nyghte ¶ The Pothecarie answerde / and thow shalt haue A thyng that also god / my soule saue In al this world / ther is no creature That ete / or dronke / hath of this confiture Nat but the montance / of a corn of whete That he ne shal his lyf / anoon for-lete Ye sterue he shal / and that in lasse while Than thow wolt goon a pass / nat but a myle The poyson / is so strong/ and violent This cursed man / hath in his hand yhent This poyson in a box / and sith he ran In-to the nexte Strete / vn-to a man And borwed hym / large Botels thre And in the two / his poison poured he The thridde / he kepte clene for his drynke ffor al the nyght he shoope hym for to swynke In cariyng of the gold / out of that place And whan this Riotour / with sory grace Hadde filled with wyn / hise grete Botels thre To hise felawes / agayn repaireth he ¶ What nedeth it to sarmone of it moore ffor right as they / hadde cast his deeth bifore Right so / they han hym slayn / and that anon And whan this was doon / thus spak that oon Now lat vs sitte and drynke / and make vs merye And afterward / we wol his body berye And with that word / it happed hym par cas To take the Botel / ther the poyson was And drank/ and yaf his felawe drynke also ffor which anon / they storuen bothe two ¶ But certes I suppose / that Auycen Wroot neuere in no Canon / ne in no fen Mo wonder signes / of empoysonyng Than hadde thise wrecches two / er hir endyng Thus ended been / thise homicides two And eek/ the false empoysonere also ¶ O · cursed synne / of alle cursednesse O · traytours homicide / o wikkednesse O · glotonye / luxure / and hasardrye Thou blasphemour of Crist with vileynye And othes grete / of vsage / and of pryde Allas mankynde / how may it bityde That to thy Creatour / which þat thee wroghte And with his precious herte blood / the boghte Thow art so fals / and so vnkynde allas ¶ Now goode men / god foryeue yow youre trespas And ware yow / fro the synne of Auarice Myn holy pardon / may yow alle warisse So that ye offre nobles / or starlynges Or ellis siluer broches / spones / rynges Boweth youre heed / vnder this holy bulle Cometh vp ye wyues / offreth of youre wolle Youre name I entre / here in my rolle anon In-to the blisse of heuene / shul ye gon I yow assoile / by myn heigh power Ye þat wol offre / as clene and eek as cler As ye were born / and lo sires thus I preche And Ihesu crist that is oure soules leche So graunte yow / his pardon to receyue ffor that is best I wol yow nat deceyue ¶ But sires / o word / forgat I in my tale I haue Relikes and pardon in my male As faire / as any man in Engelond Whiche were me yeuen / by the Popes hond If any of yow / wol of deuocion Offren / and han myn absolucion. Com forth anon / and kneleth here adoun And mekely / receyueth my pardoun Or ellis / taketh pardon as ye wende Al newe and fressh / at euery myles ende So þat ye offren alwey / newe and newe Nobles / or pens / whiche þat been good & trewe It is an honour / to euerich that is heer That ye mowe haue / a suffisant pardoner Tassoile yow / in contree as ye ryde ffor auentures / whiche þat may bityde Parauenture / ther may falle oon or two Doun of his hors / and breke his nekke atwo Looke swich a seuretee is it to yow alle That I am / in youre felaweship y-falle That may assoille yow / bothe moore & lasse Whan þat the soule / shal fro the body passe I rede / that oure hoost shal bigynne ffor he is moost envoluped in synne Com forth sire hoost / and offre first anon And thow shalt kisse / the Relikes euerychon Ye for a grote / vnbokele anon thy purs ¶ Nay nay quod he / thanne haue I Cristes curs Lat be quod he / it shal nat be so thee ich Thow woldest make me kisse thyn olde breech And swere it were / a Relyk of a Seint Thogh it were / with thy fondement depeynt But by the croys / which þat Seint Eleyne foond I wold I hadde / thy coylons in myn hond In stide of Relikes / or of Seintuarie Lat cutte hem of / I wol thee hem carie They shul be shryned / in an hogges toord ¶ This pardoner / answerde nat a word So wrooth he was / no word ne wolde he seye ¶ Now quod oure hoost I wol no lenger pleye With thee / ne with noon oother angry man ¶ But right anon / the worthy knyght bigan Whan þat he saugh / þat al the peple lough Namoore of this / for it is right ynough Sire Pardoner be glad / and murye of cheere And sire hoost that been to me so deere I pray yow / þat ye kisse the Pardoner And Pardoner / I pray thee / drawe thee neer And as we diden / lat vs lawe and pleye Anon they kiste / and ryden forþ hir weye ¶ Here is ended the Pardoners tale. GROUP B. (ß. FRAGMENT III.) § 4. THE SHIPMAN'S TALE. ¶ Here bigynneth the Shipmannes tale [Hengwrt MS, A Marchant whilom / dwelled at Seint Denys That riche was / for which men helde hym wys A.wyf he hadde / of excellent beautee And compaignable / and reuelous was she Which is a thyng that causeth moore dispence Than worth / is al the cheere and reuerence That men hem doon / at festes and at daunces Swich salutacions / and contenances Passen / as dooth a shadwe vp on the wal But wo is hym / that payen moot for al The sely housbonde / algate he moot paye He moot vs clothe / and he moot vs arraye Al for his owene worshipe / richely In which array / we dauncen iolily And if that he noght may / parauenture Or ellis / list no swich dispense endure But thynketh / it is wasted and y-lost Thanne moot another / payen for oure cost Or lene vs gold / and that is perilous This noble Marchant heeld a worthy hous ffor which / he hadde alday / so greet repair ffor his largesse / and for his wyf was fair What wonder is / but herkneth to my tale Amonges alle hise gestes / grete and smale ¶ Ther was a Monk a fair man and a bold I trowe / a thritty wynter / he was old That euere in oon / was drawyng to that place This yonge Monk that was so fair of face Aqueynted was so / with the goode man Sith that hir firste knewliche bigan That in his hous / as famulier was he As it is possible / any freend to be And for as muchel / as this goode man And eek this Monk of which þat I bigan Were bothe two yborn / in o village The Monk hym claymeth / as for cosynage And he agayn / he seith nat ones nay But was as glad ther of / as fowel of day ffor to his herte / it was a gret plesance Thus been they knyt with eterne alliance And ech of hem / gan oother / for tassure Of bretherhede / whil þat hir lyf may dure ¶ ffree was daun Iohn / and manly of dispence As in that hous / and ful of diligence To doon plesance / and also greet costage He nat forgat to yeue the leeste page In al that hous / but after hir degree He yaf the lord / and sith al his meynee Whan þat he cam / som manere honeste thyng ffor which / they were as glad of his comyng As fowel is fayn / whan þat the sonne vp riseth Namoore of this as now / for it suffiseth ¶ But so bifel / this Marchant on a day Shoope hym / to make redy his array Toward the town of Brugges / for to fare To byen there / a porcion of ware ffor which he hath / to Parys sent anon A messager / and preyed hath daun Iohn That he sholde come / to Seint Denys and pleye With hym / and with his wyf a day or tweye Er he to Brugges wente / in alle wise ¶ This noble Monk of which I yow deuyse Hath of his Abbot as hym list licence By cause he was a man / of heigh prudence And eek an Officer / out for to ryde To seen hir granges / and hir bernes wyde And vn to Seint denys / he comth anon Who was so welcome / as my lord daun Iohn Oure deere cosyn / ful of curteisye With hym broghte he / a Iubbe of Maluesye And eek another / ful of fyn vernage And volatil / as ay was his vsage And thus I lete hem / ete and drynke and pleye This Marchant and this Monk / a day or tweye ¶ The thridde day / this Marchant vp ariseth And on his nedes / sadly hym auyseth And vp / in to his Countour hous goth he To rekene with hym self / wel may be Of thilke yeer / how þat it with hym stood And how þat he / despended hadde his good And if that he / encressed were or noon Hise bokes / and his bagges / many oon He leyth biforn hym / on his Countyng bord fful riche was his tresor / and his hord ffor which ful faste / his Countour dore he shette And eek he nolde / þat no man sholde hym lette Of his acountes / for the mene tyme And thus he sit / til it was passed prime ¶ Daun Iohn was risen / in the morwe also And in the gardyns / walketh to and fro And hath his thynges seyd / ful curteisly ¶ This goode wyf / cam walkyng priuely In to the gardyn / ther he walketh softe And hym salueth / as she hath doon ofte A mayde child / cam in hir compaignye Which as hir list she may gouerne and gye ffor yet vnder the yerde was the mayde ¶ O deere cosyn myn / daun Iohn she sayde What eyleth yow / so rathe for to ryse ¶ Nece quod he / it oghte ynow suffise ffyue houres / for to slepe / vp on a nyght But it were / for an old apalled wight As been thise wedded men / þat lye and dare As in a forme / sit a wery hare Were al forstraught with houndes grete & smale But deere Nece / why be ye so pale I trowe certes / that oure goode man Hath yow laboured / sith the nyght bigan That yow were nede / to resten hastily And with that word / he lough ful myrily And of his owene thoght he weex al reed ¶ This faire wyf / gan for to shake hir heed And seyde thus / ye god woot al quod she Nay cosyn myn / it stant nat so with me ffor by that god / that yaf me soule and lyf In al the Reawme of ffrance / is ther no wyf That lasse lust hath / to that sory pley ffor I may synge / allas and weilawey That I was born / but to no wight quod she Dar I nat telle / how þat it stant with me Wher fore I thynke / out of this land to wende Or ellis / of my self / to make an ende So ful am I / of drede / and eek of care ¶ This Monk bigan / vp on this wyf to stare And seyde / allas / my Nece god forbede That ye / for any sorwe / or any drede ffordo your self / but telleth me youre grief Parauenture / I may in youre meschief Conseille / or helpe / and therfore telleth me Al youre anoy / for it shal been secree ffor on my Porthors / I make an oth That neuere in my lif / for lief / or loth Ne shal I / of no conseil / yow biwreye ¶ The same agayn to yow / quod she I seye By god / and by this Porthors / I swere Thogh men me wolde / al in to peces tere Ne shal I neuere / for to gon to helle Biwreye a word / of thyng þat ye me telle Nat for no cosynage / ne alliance But verraily / for loue and affiance Thus been they sworn / and her vp on they keste And ech of hem / tolde oother what hem leste ¶ Cosyn quod she / if þat I hadde a space As I haue noon / and namely in this place Thanne wolde I telle / a legende of my lyf What I haue suffred / sith I was a wyf With myn housbonde / al be he youre cosyn ¶ Nay quod this Monk by god and Seint Martin He is namore / cosyn vn to me Than is this leef þat hangeth on the tree I clepe hym so / by Seint Denys of ffrance To han / the moore cause of aqueyntance Of yow / which I haue loued specially Abouen alle wommen / sikerly This swere I yow / on my profession Telleth youre grief / lest þat he come adoun And hasteth yow / and goth awey anon ¶ My deere loue quod she / o my daun Iohn fful lief were me / this conseil for to hyde But out it moot I may namoore abyde ¶ Myn housbonde is to me / the worste man That euere was / sith þat the world bigan But sith I am a wyf / it sit nat me To tellen no wight of oure priuetee Neither abedde / ne in noon oother place God shilde / I sholde it tellen for his grace A wyf ne shal nat seyn / of hir housbonde But al honour / as I kan vnderstonde Saue vn to yow / thus muche I tellen shal As help me god / he is noght worth at al In no degree / the value of a flye But yet me greueth moost his nygardye And wel ye woo þat wommen naturellyA woman wolld haue her husband / to be hardye / wyse / Ryche free / buxom / that is to saye gentell / and to be freshe in bed / these / syxe things a woman dothe desyre / as Mr Chaucer dothe wryte. [In a late hand.] Desiren thynges .vj. as wel as I They wolde / þat hir housbondes sholde be ¶ Hardy and wise / and riche / and ther-to free¶ nota And buxom vn to his wyf / and fressh abedde But by that ilke lord / that for vs bledde ffor his honour / my self for to arraye A sonday next I moot nedes paye An hundred frankes / or ellis am I lorn Yet were me leuere / þat I were vnborn Than me were doon / a sclaundre / or vileynye And if myn housbonde eek/ myghte it espye I nere but lost and ther fore I yow preye Lene me this somme / or ellis moot I deye Daun Iohn I seye / lene me thise hundred frankes Pardee I wil noght faile yow my thankes If þat yow list to doon / that I yow praye ffor at a certeyn day / I wol yow paye And doon to yow / what plesance and seruyse That I may doon / right as yow list deuyse And but .I. do / god take on me vengeance As foul / as euere hadde Genelon of ffrance ¶ This gentil Monk answerde in this manere Now trewely / myn owene lady deere I haue quod he / on yow so gret a routhe That I yow swere / and plighte yow my trouthe That whan youre housbonde / is to fflandres fare I wol deliuere yow / out of this care ffor I wol brynge yow / an hundred frankes And with that word / he caughte hire by the flankes And hire embraceth harde / and kiste hire ofte Goth now youre wey quod he / al stille and softe And lat vs dyne / as soone / as þat ye may ffor by my chilyndre / it is Pryme of day Goth now / and beth as trewe as I shal be ¶ Now ellis / god forbede sire quod she And forth she goth / as iolif as a pye And bad the Cokes / þat they sholde hem hye So þat men myghte dyne / and that anon Vp to hir housbonde / is his wyf ygon And knokketh at his Countour / boldely ¶ Who[ys interlined by a late hand] ther quod he / Peter it am I.qi la. Quod she / what sire / how longe wol ye faste How longe tyme / wol ye rekene and caste Youre sommes / and youre bokes / and youre thynges The deuel haue part on alle swiche rekenynges Ye haue ynogh pardee / of goddes sonde Com doun to day / and lat youre bagges stonde Ne be ye nat ashamed / that daun Iohn Shal fastynge / al this day elenge gon What lat vs here a masse / and go we dyne ¶ Wyf quod this man / litel kanstow deuyne The curious bisynesse / that we haue ffor of vs chapmen / also god me saue And by that lord / that clepid is Seint Yue Scarsly amonges .xij. x. shul thryue Continuelly / lastyng vn to oure age We may wel make cheere / and good visage And dryue forth the world / as it may be And kepen oure estat in pryuetee Til we be dede / or ellis that we pleye A pilgrymage / or goon out of the weye And ther fore / haue I gret necessitee Vp on this queynte world / tauyse me ffor euere mo / we mote stonde in drede Of hap and ffortune / in oure chapmanhede ¶ To fflandres wol I go / tomorwe at day And come agayn / as soone as euere I may ffor which my deere wyf / I thee biseke As be to euery wight buxom and meke And for to kepe oure good / be curious And honestly / gouerne wel oure hous Thow hast ynow / in euery manere wise That to a thrifty houshold / may suffise Thee lakketh noon array / ne no vitaille Of siluer in thy purs / shaltow nat faille And with that word / his Countour dore he shette And doun he goth / no lenger wolde he lette But hastily / a masse was ther seyd And spedily / the tables were yleyd And to the dyner / faste they hem spedde And richely this Monk the chapman fedd ¶ At after dyner / daun Iohn sobrely This chapman took a part and priuely He seyde hym thus / cosyn it standeth so That wel I se / to Brugges wol ye go God and Seint Austyn / spede yow and gyde I pray yow cosyn / wysly þat ye ryde Gouerneth yow also / of youre diete Atemprely / and namely / in this hete Bitwix vs two / nedeth no strange fare ffarewel cosyn / god shilde yow fro care And if þat any thyng by day or nyght If it lye in my power / and my myght That ye me wol comande / in any wise It shal be doon / right as ye wol deuyse ¶ O thing er þat ye goon / if it may be I wold preye yow / for to lene me An hundred frankes / for a wyke or tweye ffor certeyn bestes / þat I moste beye To store with a place / that is oures God help me so / I wolde it were youres I shal nat faille / seurely of my day Nat for a thousand frankes / a myle way But lat this thyng be secree / I yow preye ffor yet to nyght thise bestes moot I beye And fare now wel / myn owene cosyn deere Grant mercy / of youre cost and of youre cheere ¶ This noble Marchant gentilly anon Answerde and seyde / o cosyn myn daun Iohn Now sikerly / this is a smal requeste My gold is youres / whan þat it yow leste And nat oonly my gold / but my chaffare Tak what yow list god shilde þat ye spare But o thyng is / ye knowe it wel ynow Of Chapmen / that hir moneye is hir plow We may creance / whil we han a name But goldlees for to been / it is no game Pay it agayn / whan it lyth in youre ese After my myght ful fayn wol I yow plese ¶ Thise hundred frankes / he fette forth anon And priuely / he took hem to daun Iohn No wight in al this world / wiste of this lone Sauyng this Marchant and daun Iohn allone They drynke / and speke / and rome a while & pleye Til that daun Iohn / rideth to his Abbeye ¶ The morwe cam / and forth this Marchant rydeth To fflandres ward / his Prentys wel hym gydeth Til he cam / in to Brugges murily Now goth this Marchant faste and bisily Aboute his nede / and byeth and creanceth He neither / pleyeth at the dees / ne daunceth But as a Marchant shortly for to telle He let his lyf / and ther I lete hym dwelle ¶ The sonday next / the Marchant was agon To Seint denys / ycomen is daun Iohn With crowne and berd / al fressh & newe shaue In al the hous / ther nas so litel a knaue Ne no wight ellis / þat he nas ful fayn That my lord daun Iohn / was come agayn And shortly / to the poynt right for to gon This faire wyf accorded with daun Iohn That for thise hundred frankes / he sholde al nyght Haue hire in his armes / bolt vpright And this acord / parfourned was in dede In myrthe al nyght a bisy lyf they lede Til it was day / that daun Iohn wente his way And bad the meynee / fare wel haue good day ffor noon of hem / ne no wight in the town Hath of daun Iohn / right no suspecioun And forth he rydeth hom / til his Abbeye Or where hym list namoore of hym I seye ¶ This Marchant whan þat ended was the faire To Seint Denys / he gan for to repaire And with his wyf / he maketh feste and cheere And telleth hire / that chaffare is so deere That nedes / moste he make a cheuyssance ffor he was bounden / in a reconyssance To paye / twenty thousand sheelde anon ffor which / this Marchant is to Parys gon To borwe / of certeyne freendes / that he hadde A certeyn frankes / and somme with hym he ladde And whan þat he was come / in to the town ffor greet chiertee / and greet affeccioun Vn to daun Iohn / he first goth / hym to pleye Nat for to axe / or borwe of hym moneye But for to wite / and seen of his welfare And for to tellen hym / of his chaffare As freendes doon / whan they been met yfeere Daun Iohn / hym maketh feste / and murye cheere And he hym tolde agayn / ful specially How he hadde / wel yboght and graciously Thanked be god / al hool his marchandise Saue þat he moste / in alle maner wyse Maken a cheuyssance / as for his beste And thanne he sholde been / in ioye and reste ¶ Daun Iohn answerde / certes I am fayn That ye in heele / ar comen hom agayn And if þat I were riche / as haue I blisse Of twenty thousand sheeld / sholde ye nat mysse ffor ye so kyndely / this oother day Lente me gold / and as I kan and may I thanke yow / by god / and by Seint Iame But nathelees / I took vn to oure dame Yowre wyf at hom / the same gold agayn Vp on youre bench / she woot it wel certayn By certeyn toknes / that I kan yow telle Now by youre leue / I may no lenger dwelle Oure Abbot wol out of this town anon And in his compaignye / moot I gon Greet wel oure dame / myn owene Nece swete And fare wel deere cosyn / til we meete ¶ This Marchant which þat was ful war and wys Creanced hath / and payed eek in Parys To certeyn lombardes / redy in hir hond The somme of gold / and gat of hem his bond¶ .i. obligacionem. And hoom he gooth / murye as a Papyniay ffor wel he knew / he stood in swich array That nedes moste he wynne / in that viage A thousand frankes / abouen al his costage ¶ His wyf ful redy / mette hym at the gate As she was wont of old vsage algate And al that nyght in myrthe they bisette ffor he was riche / and cleerly out of dette ¶ Whan it was day / this Marchant gan embrace His wyf al newe / and kiste hire on hir face And vp he goth / and maketh it ful tough Namoore quod she / by god ye haue ynough And wantownely agayn / with hym she pleyde Til at the laste / this Marchant seyde ¶ By god quod he / I am a litel wroth With yow my wyf / al thogh it be me looth And woot ye why / by god as þat I gesse That ye han maad / a manere strangenesse Bitwixen me / and my cosyn daun Iohn Ye sholde han warned me / er I had gon That he yow hadde / a hundred frankes payed By redy tokne / and heeld hym yuele apayed ffor that I to hym / spak of cheuyssance Me semed so / as by his contenance But nathelees / by god oure heuene kyng I thoghte nat to axe of hym no thyng I pray thee wyf ne do namoore so Tel me alwey / er that I fro thee go If any dettour / hath in myn absence Ypayed thee / lest thurgh thy necligence I myghte hym axe / a thyng þat he hath payed ¶ This wyf / was nat afered ne afrayed But boldely she seyde / and that anon Marie I diffye / the false Monk daun Iohn I kepe nat of his toknes / neuer a del He took me certeyn gold / this woot I wel What yuel thedam / on his Monkes snowte ffor god it woot I wende with outen dowte That he hadde yeue it me / by cause of yow To doon ther with / myn honour and my prow ffor cosynage / and eek for bele cheere That he hath had / ful ofte tymes heere ¶ But sith I se / it stant in this disioynt I wole answere yow / shortly to the poynt Ye han mo slakker dettours / than am I ffor I wol paye yow / wel and redily ffro day to day / and if so be I fayle I am youre wyf / score it vp on my tayle And I shal paye / as soone as euere I may ffor by my trouthe / I haue on myn array And nat in wast bistowed euery del And for I haue / bistowed it so wel ffor youre honour / for goddes sake I seye As be nat wrooth / but lat vs laughe & pleye Ye shal / my ioly body han to wedde By god / I wol noght paye yow but a bedde fforgyue it me / myn owene spouse deere Turn hiderward / and maketh bettre cheere ¶ This Marchant saugh / ther was no remedye And for to chide / it nere but folye Syn that the thyng may nat amended be Now wyf he seyde / and I foryeue it thee But by thy lyf / ne be namoore so large Keepe bet thy good / this yeue I thee in charge Thus endeth my tale / and god vs sende Taillynge ynough / vn to oure lyues ende. ¶ Here endeth / the Shipmannes tale. ¶ Herke the myrie Wordes / of the Worthy Hoost. WEl seyd / by corpus dominus / quod oure Hoost Now longe / moote thow saille by the coost Thow gentil Maister / gentil Maryner God yeve the Monk / a thousand last quaad yeer A .ha. felawes / beth war of swich a Iape The Monk putte / in the mannes hood an Ape And in his wyues eek / by Seint Austyn Draweth no Monkes / moore in to youre In ¶ But now passe ouer / and lat vs seke aboute Who shal now telle first of al this route Another tale / and with that word he sayde As curteisly / as it hadde been a mayde My lady Prioresse / by youre leue So that .I. wiste / I sholde yow nat agreue I wolde demen / that ye telle sholde A tale next if so were that ye wolde Now wol ye vouche it sauf my lady deere ¶ Gladly quod she / and seyde as ye shal heere. ¶ The proheme of the Prioresse tale. Domine dominus noster. Olord oure lord / thy name how merueilous Is in this large world / ysprad quod she ffor nat oonly / thy laude precious Parfourned is / by men of dignytee But by the mouth of children / thy bountee Parfourned is / for on the brest soukynge Som tyme / shewen they thyn heryynge ¶ Wher fore in laude / as I best kan or may Of thee / and of the white lilye flour Which þat the bar / and is a mayde alway To telle a storie / I wol do my labour Nat that I may / encressen hir honour ffor she hir self / is honour / and the Roote Of bountee next hir sone / and soules boote ¶ O. moder mayde / o mayde moder free O. bussh vnbrent brennyng in Moyses sighte That rauysedest doun / fro the deitee Thurgh thyn humblesse / the goost/ þat in thalighte Of whos vertu / whan he thyn herte lighte Conceyued was / the fadres sapience Help me / to telle it in thy reuerence ¶ Lady thy bountee / thy magnificence Thy vertu / and thy grete humylitee Ther may no tonge expresse / in no science ffor som tyme lady / er men praye to thee Thow goost biforn / of thy benygnytee And getest vs / the light of thy prayere To gyden vs / vn to thy sone so deere ¶ My konnyng is so wayk o blisful queene ffor to declare / thy grete worthynesse That I ne may / the weighte nat sustene But as a child / of twelue month old/ or lesse That kan vnnethe / any word expresse Right so fare I / and ther fore I yow preye Gideth my song that I shal of yow seye¶ Explicit prohemium. ¶ Here biggynneth the Prioresse tale of ¶ Alma redemptoris mater Ther was in Asye / in a greet Citee Amonges cristen folk a Iewerye Sustened / by a lord / of that contree ffor foul vsure / and lucre of vileynyeturpe lucrum Hateful / to Crist and to his compaignye And thurgh the strete / men m[ygh1]te ryde & wende ffor it was free / and o[ .........[MS torn]] ¶ A litel scole / of cristen folk ther stood Doun at the ferther ende / in which ther weere Children an heepe / ycomen of cristen blood That lerned in that scole / yeer by yere Swich manere doctrine / as men vsed there This is to seyn / to syngen and to rede As smale children doon / in hir childhede ¶ Among thise children / was a wydwes sone A litel clergeon / .vij. yeer of age That day by day / to scole was his wone And eek also / wher as he say thymage Of Cristes moder / hadde he in vsage As hym was taught to knele adoun and seye His Aue Marie / as he goth by the weye ¶ Thus hath this wydwe / hir litel sone ytaught Oure blisful lady / Cristes moder deere To worshipe ay / and he forgat it naught ffor sely child / wol alwey soone lere But ay / whan I remembre / of this matere Seint Nicholas / stant euere in my presence ffor he so yong to Crist dide reuerence ¶ This litel child / his litel book lernynge As he sat in the scole / at his prymer He Alma redemptoris / herde synge As children / lerned hir Antiphoner And as he dorste / he drow hym ner and ner And herkned ay / the wordes and the note Til he the firste vers / koude al by rote Nat wiste he / what this latyn was to seye. ffor he so yong and tendre was of age But on a day / his felawe gan he preye Texpounden hym this song in his langage Or telle hym why / this song was in vsage This prayde he hym/ [. . . . .[MS is torn away]] struen and declare [. . . . .[MS is torn away]]re ¶ His felawe / which þat elder was than he Answerde hym thus / this song I haue herd seye Was maked / of oure blisful lady free Hir to salue / and eek hire for to preye To been oure helpe / and socour / whan we deye I kan namoore / expounde in this matere I lerne song I kan but smal gramere ¶ And is this song maked in reuerence Of Cristes moder / seyde this Innocent Now certes / I wol do my diligence To konne it al / er Cristemasse is went Thogh þat I / for my Prymer shal be shent And shal be beten / thries in an houre I wol it konne / oure lady for to honoure ¶ His felawe taughte hym / homward priuely ffro day to day / til he koude it by rote And thanne he soong it / wel and boldely ffro word to word / acordyng with the note Twyes a day / it passed thurgh his throte To scoleward / and homward / whan he wente On Cristes moder / set was his entente As I haue seyd / thurgh out the Iuerye This litel child / as he cam to and fro fful murily / wolde he synge and crye O Alma redemptoris / euere mo The swetnesse / his herte perced so Of Cristes moder / that to hir to preye He kan nat stynte / of syngyng by the weye ¶ Oure firste foo / the Serpent Sathanas That hath in Iewes herte / his waspes nest Vp swal and seyde / o Hebrayk peple allas Is this to yow / a thyng that is honest That swich a boy / shal walken As hym lest In youre despit and synge of [. . . . .[MS torn]]h sentence Which is agayns / oure l[. . . . .[MS torn]] ¶ ffro thennes forth / the Iewes han conspired This Innocent out of this world to chace An homycide / ther-to han they hired That in an Aleye / at a priuee place And as the child / gan for by for to pace This cursed Iew / hym hente / and heeld hym faste And kitte his throte / and in a pit hym caste ¶ I seye / that in a wordrobe / they hym threwe Wher as thise Iewes / purgen hir entraille O cursed folk of herodes / al newe What may / youre yuel entente yow auaille Mordre wol out / certeyn it wol nat faille And namely / ther as thonour of god shal sprede The blood out cryeth / on youre cursed dede ¶ O martir sonded to virginitee Now maystow syngen / folwyng euere in oon

¶ legamus Apocalipsim Iohannis / et ibi reperimus agnum super montem syon & cum illo.Cxliiij. Milia signatorum &c qui cantant canticum nouum &c.

¶ Isti sunt qui cum mulieribus se non coinquinauerunt virgines autem permanserunt /. Hii sunt qui secuntur agnum quocumque vadit &c. [MS, leaf 211, back.]

 The white lamb celestial quod she Of which / the grete Euaungelist Seint Iohn In Pathmos wroot which seith þat they þat gon Biforn this lamb / and synge a song al newecarnaliter That neuere fflesshly / womman they ne knewe ¶ This poure wydwe / awaiteth al that nyght After hir litel child / but he cam noght ffor which as soone / as it was dayes lyght With face pale / of drede and bisy thoght She hath at scole / and ellis where hym soght Til fynally / she gan so fer espie That he last seyn was / in the Iewerie ¶ With modres pitee / in hir brest enclosed She goth / as she were half out of hir mynde To euery place / wheras she hath supposed By liklyhede / hir litel child to fynde And euere / on Cristes moder / meke and kynde She cryde / and at the laste [. . . . .[MS torn]] she wroghte [. . . . .[MS torn]]ghte She frayneth / and she prayeth pitously To euery Iew / that dwelte in thilke place To telle hire / if hir child / wente oght forby They seyde nay / but Ihesu of his grace Yaf in hir thought in with a litel space That in that place / after hir sone she cryde Wher he was casten / in a pit bisyde ¶ O grete god / that parfournest thy laude By mouth of Innocentz / lo here thy myght This gemme of chastitee / this Emeraude And eek of martirdom / the Ruby bright Ther he with throte ycoruen / lay vpright He Alma redemptoris / gan to synge So loude / that al the place gan to rynge ¶ The cristen folk that thurgh the strete wente In coomen / for to wondre vp on this thyng And hastily / they for the Prouost sente He cam anon / with outen tariyng And herieth Crist that is of heuene kyng And eek his moder / honour of mankynde And after that the Iewes leet he bynde ¶ This child / with pitous lamentacion Vp taken was / syngynge his song alway And with honour / of greet procession They carien hym / vn to the nexte Abbay His moder swownyng by his beere lay Vnnethe myghte / the peple that was there This newe Rachel / bryngen fro his beere¶ Rachel plorans filios suos noluit consolari &c. ¶ With torment and with shameful deth echon This Prouost dooth thise Iewes for to sterue That of this mordre wiste / and that anon He nolde / no swich cursednesse obserue Yuel shal haue / that yuel wol disserue Ther fore with wilde hors [he di[MS torn]]de hem drawe And after that he [. . . . .[MS torn]] ¶ Vp on his beere / ay lyth this Innocent Biforn the chief Auter / whil the masse laste And after that the Abbot with his Couent Han sped hem / for to buryen hym ful faste

// de puero qui cantauit/ de gloriosa virgine // de maria quicquid sciuit puer cantans enutriuit; Maternam inopiam

// hunc Iudeus nequam strauit domo sua quem humauit; Diram per Inuidiam

// Mater querens hunc vocauit hic in terra recantauit; Solita preconia

// Puer liber mox exiuit Mortis reos lex puniuit; Iudeos &c.

 And whan they / holy water/ on hym caste Yet spak this child / whan spreynd was holy water And song O alma redemptoris mater ¶ This Abbot which þat was an holy man As monkes ben / or ellis oghten be This yonge child / to coniure he bigan And seyde / o deere child I halsen thee In vertu / of the holy Trinitee Tel me / what is thy cause for to synge Sith þat thy throte is kit to my semynge ¶ My throte is kit vn to my nekke boon Seyde this child / and as by wey of kynde I sholde haue dyed / ye longe tyme agoon But Ihesu crist as ye in bokes fynde Wol þat his glorie laste / and be in mynde And for the worshipe / of his moder deere Yet may I synge / O alma / loude and clere ¶ This welle of mercy / Cristes moder swete I loued alwey / as after my konnynge And whan þat I my lyf sholde forlete To me she cam / and bad me for to synge This Antheme / verraily in my deiynge As ye han herd / and whan þat I had songe Me thoughte / she leyde a greyn vp on my tonge ¶ Wherfore I synge / and synge moot certeyn In honour / of that blisful mayden free Til fro my tonge / of taken is the greyn And after that thus seyde she to me My litel child / now wil I fecche thee Whan þat the greyn is f[rom t[MS torn]]hy tonge ytake Be nat ag[. . . . .[MS torn]] ¶ This holy monk this Abbot hym mene I His tonge out caughte / and took awey the greyn And he / yaf vp the goost ful softely And whan this Abbot hadde this wonder seyn Hise salte teerys / trikled doun as reyn And gruf he fil / al flat vp on the grounde And stille he lay / as he had leyn ybounde ¶ The Couent eek/ lay on the pauement Wepynge / and heryen cristes moder deere And after that they ryse / and forth been went And toke awey this martir / from his beere And in a toumbe / of Marbilstones cleere Enclosen they / this litel body swete Ther he is now / god leue vs for to meete ¶ O yonge Hugh of Lyncoln / slayn also With cursed Iewes / as it is notable ffor it is / but a litel while ygo Preye eek for vs / we synful folk vnstable That of his mercy / god so merciable On vs / his grete mercy multiplie ffor reuerence / of his moder Marie. Amen. ¶ Here endeth / the Prioresse tale. ¶ Bihoold the myrie talkyng/ of the Hoost/. to Chaucer. WHan seyd was al this myracle / euery man As sobre was / that wonder was to se Til that oure hoost iapen he bigan.i. Chaucer And thanne at erst he looked vp on me And seyde thus / what man artow quod he Thow lookest as thow woldest fynde an hare ffor euere vp on the ground / I se thee stare ¶ Approche neer / and looke vp myrily Now war yow sires / and lat this man haue place He in the wast is shape as wel as I This were a popet in an arm tenbrace ffor any womman / smal and fair of face He semeth eluyssh / by his contenance ffor vn to no wight dooth he no daliance ¶ Sey now som what syn oother folk han sayd Telle vs a tale / of myrthe / and that anon Hoost quod I / ne beth nat yuele ypayd ffor oother tale / certes kan I noon But of a rym / I lerned longe agoon Ye that is good quod he / now shul we heere Som deyntee thyng me thynketh by his cheere ¶ Here bigynneth Chaucers tale of Thopas [Fit I.]

[Each third line is on the right of its couple, in the MS, and there are no breaks between the stanzas.]

 Listeth lordes / in good entent And I wil telle verrayment Of myrthe / and of solas Al of a knyght was fair and gent In bataille / and in tornament His name / was sir Thopas ¶ Yborn he was / in fer contree In fflaundres / al biyonde the see At Poperyng in the place His fader was / a man ful free And lord he was / of that contree As it was / goddes grace ¶ Sir Thopas wax / a doghty swayn Whit was his face / as Payndemayn His lippes reed as Rose His rode is lyk / scarlet in grayn As I yow telle / in good certayn He hadde a semely nose ¶ His heer / his berd / was lyk Safrown That to his girdel / raughte adown Hise shoon / of Cordewane Of Brugges / were his hosen brown His Robe was / of syklatown That coste many a Iane ¶ He koude hunte / at wilde deer And ride an hawkyng for Ryuer With grey goshauk on honde Ther-to he was / a good Archier Of wrastlyng was ther noon his pier Ther any Ram shal stonde ¶ fful many mayde / bright in bour They moorne for hym / par amour Whan hem were bet to slep[e] But he was chaast and no lechour And sweete / as is the brambel flour That bereth the rede hepe ¶ And so it fel / vp on a day ffor sothe / as I yow telle may Sir Thopas / wolde out ryde He warth vp on / his Steede gray And in his hand / a launcegay A long swerd / by his syde ¶ He priketh thurgh / a fair fforest Ther Inne / is many a wilde best Ye bothe / bukke and hare And as he priketh / North & Est I telle it yow / hym hadde almest bitydde / a sory care ¶ There spryngen herbes / grene & smale The licorys / and Cetewale And many a clowe Gylofre And notemuge / to putte in Ale Wheither it be moyste or stale Or / for to leye in cofre ¶ The bryddes synge / it is no nay The Sperhauk and the Popyniay That ioye / it was to here The Thurstelock / made eek his lay The wodedowue / vp on the spray She sang ful loude & clere ¶ Sire Thopas fil / in loue longynge Al whan he herde / the thrustel synge And pryked / as he were wood His fayre Steede / in his prikynge So swatte / þat men myghte hym wrynge His sydes / were al blood ¶ Sir Thopas eek / so wery was ffor prikyng/ on the softe gras So fiers / was his corrage That doun he leyde hym / in the plas To make his Steede / som solas And yaf hym / good forage ¶ O Seinte Marie / benedicite What eyleth / this loue at me To bynde me / so soore Me dremed / al this nyght pardee An Elf queene / shal my lemman be And slepe / vnder my gore ¶ An Elf queene / wol I haue ywys ffor in this world / no womman is Worthy to be my make // in towne Alle othere wommen / I forsake And to an Elf queene / I me take by dale / and eek by downe ¶ In to his Sadel / he clamb anoon And priketh ouer / style and stoon An Elf queene / for tespye Til he so longe / hath riden & goon That he foond / in a pryuee woon The contree of ffairye // So wylde? ffor in that contree / was ther noon . . . . . no gap in the MS. Neither wyf / ne childe ¶ Til þat ther cam / a greet geaunt His name was / sire Olifaunt A perilous man of dede He seyde child / by Termagaunt But if thow pryke / out of myn haunt Anon I sle thy Steede ¶ with Mace ¶ Heere is this queene / of ffairye With harpe & pipe / & Symphonye dwellyng in this place ¶ The child seyde / als mote I thee Tomorwe / wil I meete thee / Whan I haue myn Armowre ¶ And yet I hope / par ma fay That thow shalt with this launcegay Abyen it ful sowre ¶ Thy Mawe Shal I percen / if I may Er it be fully pryme of day ffor here shaltow ben slawe ¶ Sire Thopas / drow abak ful faste This geant at hym stones caste Out of a fel staf slynge ¶ But faire escapeth / child Thopas And al it was / thurgh goddes graas And thurgh his fair berynge Ȝet lesteth lordes / to my tale Murier than the nyghtyngale I wol yow rowne How sire Thopas / with sydes smale Prikyng ouer hyll and dale Is come agayn to towne ¶ Hys murye men / comanded he To make hym / bothe game and glee ffor nedes moste he fighte With a geant with heuedes thre ffor paramour / and Iolitee Of oon / that shoon ful brighte ¶ Do come he seyde / my Mynstrales And Gestours / for to tellen tales Anon / in myn Armyng Of romances / that been reales Of Popes / and of Cardynales And eek/ of loue likyng ¶ They fette hym first swete wyn And Mede eek in a Maselyn And real Spicerye Of gyngebred / that was ful fyn And lycorys / and eek Comyn With Sugre / that is trye ¶ He dide next his white leer Of clooth of lake / fyn & cleer A breech / and eek a Sherte And next his Sherte / an Aketon And ouer that an haubergeon ffor percyng of his herte ¶ And ouer that a fyn hauberk Was al ywroght of Iewes werk fful strong it was of plate And ouer that / his cote Armour As whit as is / a lilie flour In which / he wol debate ¶ His sheeld was al / of gold so reed And ther Inne was / a bores heed A Charbocle / by his syde And there he swoor / on Ale and breed How þat the geant / shal be deed Bityde / what bityde ¶ Hise Iambeux were / of quyrboily His swerdes shethe / of Yuory His helm / of laton bright His Sadel was / of Rewel bon His brydel / as the sonne shon Or as the moone light ¶ His spere was / of fyn Cipres That bodeth werre / and no thyng pes The heed / ful sharpe ygrounde His Steede was / al dappel gray It goth an Ambel / in the way fful softely / and rounde // In londe ¶ Lo lordes myne / here is a fit If ye wole / any moore of it To telle it wol I fonde [Fit II.] n Ow hoold youre mouth per charitee Bothe knyght and lady free And herkneth to my spelle ¶ Of bataille / and of chiualry And of ladyes / loue drury Anon / I wol yow telle ¶ Men speken / of Romances of pris Of Hornchild / and of Ypotys Of Beves and Sir Gy Of Sire lybeux / and playn damour But sire Thopas / he bereth the flour Of real Chiualry ¶ His goode Steede / al he bystrood And forth vp on his wey he glood As Sparcle / out of the bronde ¶ Vp on his Creest he bar a tour And ther Inne stiked / a lilie flour God shilde / his cors fro shonde ¶ And for he was / a knyght auntrous He nolde slepen / in noon hous But liggen in his hode His brighte helm / was his wonger And by hym / bayteth his destrer Of herbes / fyne and goode ¶ Hym self / drank water of the well As dide the knyght Sire Percyuell So worly vnder wede Til on a day ¶ Here the hoost/ stynteth Chaucer of his tale of Thopas / and biddeth hym / telle another tale. Namoore of this / for goddes dignytee Quod oure Hoost for thow makest me So wery / of thy verray lewednesse That also wisly / god my soule blesse Myne erys aken / of thy drasty speche Now swich a rym / the deuel I biteche This may wel be / rym dogerel quod he ¶ Why so quod I / why wiltow lette me Moore of my tale / than another man Syn that it is / the beste rym I kan ¶ By god quod he / for pleynly at o word Thy drasty rymyng is nat worth a tord Thow doost noght ellis / but despendest tyme Sire at o word / thow shalt no lenger ryme Lat se / wher thow kanst tellen aught in geste Or tel in Prose / som what at the leeste In which ther be som myrthe / or som doctrine ¶ Gladly quod I / by goddes swete pyne I wol yow telle / a litel thyng in prose That oghte like yow / as I suppose Or ellis certes / ye be to daungerous It is a moral tale vertuous Al be it toold som tyme in sondry wise Of sondry folk / as I shal yow deuyse ¶ As thus / ye woot þat euery Euaungelist That telleth vs / the peyne of Ihesu Crist Ne seith nat alle thyng as his felawe dooth But nathelees / hir sentence is al sooth And alle acorden / as in hir sentence Al be ther / in hir tellyng difference ffor somme of hem seyn moore / & somme seyn lesse Whan they / his pitous passion expresse I mene / of Mark / Mathew / Luk and Iohn But doutelees / hir sentence is al oon ¶ Therfore / lordynges alle / I yow biseche If þat ye thynke / I varie / as in my speche As thus / thogh þat I telle somwhat moore Of prouerbes / than ye han herd bifore Comprehended / in this litel tretys heere To enforcen with / theffect of my matere And thogh I nat the same wordes seye As ye han herd / yet to yow alle I preye Blameth me nat / for as in my sentence Shul ye / nowher / fynden difference ffro the sentence / of this tretys lite After the which / this myry tale I write And therfore herkneth / what þat I shal seye And lat me tellen / al my tale I preye ¶ Here bigynneth chaucers tale of Melibeus.

[There are no line-numbers or breaks betweem the paragraphs in the MS. Tyrwhitt's breaks are kept here to prevent slight differences in the Six Texts throwing out many lines. ‖ stands for a triangular pause-mark in the MS.]

[Hengwrt MS, on leaf 216.]

[2157] A yong man whilom / called Melibeus myghty and riche / bigat vp on his wif / þat called was Prudence / a doghter / which þat called was Sophie ‖

[2158] vp on a day bifel / þat he for his desport is went in to the feeldes / hym to pleye / [2159] his wif & eek his doghter / hath he laft inwith his hous / of which the dores weren faste yshette / [2160] thre of his olde foos / han it espied / & setten laddres / to the walles of his hous / and by wyndowes ben entred / [2161] & betten his wif / & wounded his doghter / with fyue mortal woundes in fyue sondry places / [2162] this is to seyn / in hir feet/ in hir handes / in hir erys / in hir nose / and in hir mouth / and leften hire for deed & wenten awey

[2163] Whan Melibeus retourned was in to his hous / & seigh al this meschief / he lyk a mad man rentynge his clothes / gan to wepe / and crye

[2164] Prudence his wyf / as ferforth as she dorste / bisoughte hym / of his wepyng for to stynte / [2165] but nat for-thy / he gan to crye & wepen euere lenger the moore

[2166] ¶ This noble wif Prudence remembred hire / vp-on the sentence of Ouyde / in his book þat cleped is / the¶ Ouidius de remedio amoris remedie of loue / wher as he seith / [2167] he is a fool / that destourbeth the moder / to wepe / in the deth of hir child / til she haue wept hir fille / as for a certeyn tyme / [2168] and thanne shal man doon his diligence with amyable wordes / hire to reconforte / and preye hire / of hir wepyng for to stynte / [2169] for which reson / this noble wyf Prudence / suffred hir housbonde / for to wepe & crye / as for a certeyn space / [2170] and whan she say hir tyme / she seyde hym in this wise ¶ Allas my lord quod she / why make ye your self for to be lyk a fool / [2171] for sothe / it aperteneth nat to a wys man / to maken swich a sorwe / [2172] yowre doghter / with the grace of god / shal warisshe and escape [2173] And al were it so / þat she right now were deed / ye ne oghte nat as for hir deth / youre self destroye [2174] ¶ Senec[S] neca seith / the wise man shal nat take to greet disconfort for the deth of his children / [2175] but certes / he sholde suffren it in pacience / as wel / as he abideth the deth / of his owene propre persone

[2176] ¶ This Melibeus / answerde anon & seyde ¶ What man quod he / sholde of his wepyng stynte / that hath so gret a cause for to wepe ‖ [2177] Ihesu crist/ [¶] qualiter Ihesus christus fleuit propter mortem lazari. oure lord hym self / wepte / for the deth / of lazarus his freend [2178] ¶ Prudence answerde ¶ Certes wel I woot attempree wepynge / is no thyng defended / to hym þat sorweful is / amonges folk in sorwe / but it is rather / graunt|ed¶ Apostolus ad Romanos. hym to wepe [2179] ¶ The Apostle Poul / vn to the Romayns writeth ‖ Man shal reioysse with hem þat maken ioye / and wepen / with swich folk as wepen ‖ [2180] but thogh attempree wepyng be graunted / outrageous wepyng certes is defended ‖ [2181] Mesure of wepyng sholde be considered / after the loore þat techeth vs Senec [2182] ¶ Whan þat thy freend is deed quod he / lat nat thyne eyen / to moyste ben of terys / ne to muche drye / al thogh the teerys come to thyne eyen / lat hem nat falle / [2183] And whan thou hast forgoon thy freend / do dili|gence / to geten another freend / and this is moore wysdom / than for to wepe for thy freend / which þat thou hast lorn / for ther-Inne / is no boote / [2184] And ther-fore / if ye gouerne yow by sapience / put awey sorwe / out of youre herte / [2185] ¶ Remembre yow / þat Ihesus Syrak seith ‖ A man þat is ioyous and glad in herte /. it hym con|serueth florisshynge in his age / but soothly / sorweful herte / maketh his bones drye ‖ [2186] He seith eek thus /. þat sorwe in herte / sleeth ful many a man ‖ [2187] Sa|lomon seith / that right as Moththes in the Shepes flees / anoyeþ to the clothes / and the smale wormes to the tree /. right so anoyeth sorwe to the herte / [2188] wher-fore / vs oghte as wel in the deth of oure children / as in the losse of oure goodes temporels / haue pacience ‖

[2189] Remembre yow / vp on the pacient Iob / whan he hadde lost his children / and his temporel sub|stance and in his body endured & receyued ful many a greuous tribulacion / yet seide he thus ‖ [2190] Oure lord / hath [sente it me / oure lord hath] biraft it me / right so as oure lord hath wold / right so it is doon / yblessed be / the name of oure lord [2191] ¶ To thise forseyde thynges / answerde Melibeus / vn to his wif Prudence ‖ Alle thy wordes quod he been sothe / & ther to pro|fitable / but trewely / myn herte is troubled with this sorwe / so greuosly þat I noot what to doon [2192] ¶ lat calle quod Prudence / thy trewe freendes alle / & thy lynage / whiche þat ben wise / telleth youre cas / & herkneth what they seye in conseylynge / & yow gouerne / after hir sentence [2193] ¶ Salomon seith / Werk alle thy thynges by conseil / & thow shalt neuere repente //

[2194] Thanne by the conseil of his wyf Prudence / this Melibeus leet callen a greet congregacion of folk / [2195] as Sirurgiens / Phisiciens / olde folk and yonge / & somme of hise olde enemys reconsiled / as by hir semblant to his loue / & in to his grace / [2196] And ther-with-al / þer coomen somme of hise neghebores / þat diden hym reuerence / moore for drede than for loue / as it happeth ofte ‖ [2197] ¶ Ther coomen also / ful manye subtile flaterers / and wise Aduocatz lerned in the lawe /

[2198] And whan this folk / togydre assembled weren / this Melibeus in sorweful wise / shewed hem his cas / [2199] and by the manere of his speche / it semed þat in herte / he baar a cruel Ire / redy to doon venge|ance vp on his foos / and sodeynly desired / þat the werre sholde bigynne / [2200] but nathelees / yet axed he hir conseil vp on this matere ‖ [2201] A Sirurgien / by licence and assent of swiche as were wise / vp roos / & vn to Melibeus / seyde as ye may heere

[2202] ¶ Sire quod he / as to vs Sirurgiens aperteneth that we do to euery wight/ the beste þat we kan / where as we be withholden / and to oure pacientz / þat we do no damage / [2203] wher fore / it happeth many tyme & ofte / þat whan twey men han euerich wounded oother / o same Sirurgien heeleth hem bothe / [2204] wher-fore vn to oure Art it is nat pertinent to norice werre / ne parties to supporte / [2205] but certes / as to the warisshynge of youre doghter / al be it so / þat she perilously be wounded / we shullen do so ententif bisynesse fro day to nyght þat with the grace of god / she shal be hool & sound / as soone as is possible [2206] ¶ Almoost right in the same wise / the Phisiciens answerden / saue þat they seyden / a fewe wordes moore ‖ [2207] that right as maladyes ben cured by hir contraries / right so shal man warisshe werre by vengeance [2208] ¶ hise neghe|bores ful of enuye / hise feyned freendes / þat semeden reconsiled / hise flaterers [2209] maden semblant of wepyng. and empeyred / & agregged muchel of this matere / in preisynge gretly Melibe / of myght of power / of richesse / & of freendes / despisynge / the power of hise Aduersaries / [2210] and seyden outrely / þat he anon / sholde wreke hym on hise foos / and bigynne werre

[2211] ¶ Vp roos thanne an Aduocat þat was wys / by leue & by conseil / of othere þat weren wise / and seyde ‖ [2212] Lordynges / the nede. for the which we ben assembled in this place / is ful heuy thyng and an heigh matere / [2213] by cause of the wrong & of the wikkednesse / that hath be doon / and eek by reson of the grete damages / þat in tyme comynge been possible to fallen / for the same cause / [2214] And ek by reson / of the grete richesse & power of the parties bothe / [2215] for the whiche resons / it were a ful greet peril to erren in this matere [2216] ¶ wherfore Melibeus / this is oure sentence ‖ we conseile yow abouen alle thyng. þat right anon thow do diligence in kepynge of thy propre persone / in swich a wise / þat thow ne wante noon espye / ne wacche / thy body for to saue [2217] ¶ And after þat we conseille / þat in thyn hous / thow sette suffisant garnyson / so þat they may as wel / thy body / as thyn hous defende [2218] ¶ But certes / for to moeue werre / ne sodeynly for to doon vengeance / we may nat deme in so litel tyme / þat it were profit|able / [2219] Wherfore / we axen leyser & espace / to haue deliberacion in this cas to deme / [2220] for the commune prouerbe seyth this / he þat soone demeth / soone shal repente [2221] ¶ And eek men seyn / þat thilke Iuge is wys / þat soone vnderstondeth a matere / & Iuggeth by leyser / [2222] for al be it so þat al taryyng be anoyful / algates it is nat to repreue / in yeuyng of Iuggement / ne in vengeance takyng. whan it is suffisant and resonable / [2223] and that shewed oure lord Ihesu crist by en|sample / for whan þat the womman þat was taken in auoutrye / was broght in his presence / to knowen / what sholde be doon with hir persone / al be it þat he wiste wel hym self / what þat he wolde answere / yet ne wolde he / nat answere sodeynly / but he wolde haue deliberacion / and in the ground / he wroot twies / [2224] and by thise causes / we axen deliberacion / and we shul thanne / by the grace of god conseille thee / thyng that shal be profitable /

[2225] ¶ Vp stirten thanne / the yonge folk atones / and the mooste partie of that compaignye / han scorned / this olde wise man / and bigonnen to make noyse / & seyden / that [2226] right so / as whil þat Iren is hoot men sholde smyte? right so sholde men / wreken hir wronges / whil þat they been / fresshe & newe / and with loud voys / they criden. Werre. werre ‖

[2227] Vp roos tho. oon of thise olde wise / & with his hand made contenance / þat men sholde holden hem stille / and yeuen hym audience [2228] ¶ Lordynges quod he / ther is ful many a man þat crieth werre. werre. þat woot ful litel / what werre amounteth ‖ [2229] Werre at his bigynnyng hath so greet an entree & so large þat euery wight may entre whan hym liketh / & lightly fynde werre ‖ [2230] But certes what ende / þat ther-of shal falle / it is noght light to knowe ‖ [2231] for soothly / whan þat werre is ones bigonne / ther is ful many a child / vnborn of his moder / þat shal sterue yong by cause of thilke werre / or ellis lyue in sorwe / & dye in wrecchednesse / [2232] and ther fore / er þat any werre be bigonne / men moste haue gret conseil / & gret deliberacion [2233] ¶ And whan this olde man / wende to enforcen his tale by resons / wel neigh alle atones / bigonne they to rise / for to breken his tale / and beden hym ful ofte / hise wordes for to abregge / [2234] for sothly / he þat precheth to hem / þat listen nat heren hise wordes / hys sarmon / hem anoyeth ‖ [2235] ffor Ihesus Syrak seith /. That Musyk in wepynge / is a-noyous thyng This is to seyn / As muche auaileth / to speken biforn folk to whiche his speche anoyeth / as it is / to synge biforn hym þat wepeth ‖ [2236] And whan this wise man say þat hym wanted audience / al shamefast he sette hym doun agayn ‖ [2237] ffor Salomon seith / ther as thow / ne mayst haue non audience / enforce thee nat to speke [2238] ¶ I se wel quod this wise man / þat the comune prouerbe is sooth ‖ that good conseil wanteth / whan it is moost nede //

[2239] Yet hadde this Melibeus / in his conseil many folk / þat priuely in his ere / conseiled hym certeyn thyng. and conseiled hym the contrarie / in general audience

[2240] ¶ Whan Melibeus hadde herd / þat the gretteste party of his conseil / were acorded / þat he sholde make werre / anon he consented / to hir conseilyng & fully affermed hir sentence / [2241] ¶ Thanne dame Prudence / whan þat she say / how þat hyr housbonde / shoope hym / for to wreke hym on his foos / & to bigynne werre / she in ful humble wise / whan she say hir tyme / seyde hym thise wordes [2242] ¶ My lord quod she / I you biseche / as hertely as I dar & kan / ne haste yow nat to faste / and for alle gerdons / as yif me audience ‖ [2243] ffor Piers Alfonce seith /. who so þat dooth to thee / outher good / or harm / haste thee nat to quiten it / for in this wise / thy freend wol abyde / and thyn enemy / shal the lenger lyue in drede ‖ [2244] The prouerbe seith / he hasteth wel / þat wysly kan abide / and in wikked haste / is no profit

[2245] ¶ This Melibe / answerde vn to his wyf Prudence ‖ I purpose nat quod he / to werken by thy conseil / for many causes and resons / ffor certes euery wight wolde holde me thanne a fool / [2246] this is to seyn / If I for thy conseilyng wolde chaunge thynges þat ben ordeyned / & affermed / by so manye wise [2247] ¶ Sec|oundly I seye / þat alle wommen ben wikke / and noon good of hem alle / for of a thousand men / seith Salomon / I foond o good man / but certes of alle wommen / good womman foond I neuere [2248] ¶ And also certes / if I gouerned me by thy conseil / it sholde seme / þat I hadde yeue to thee ouer me the maistrie / and goddes forbode / þat it so were / [2249] ffor Ihesus Syrak seith / that if the wyf haue maistrie / she is contrarious / to hir housbonde [2250] ¶ And Salomon seith / Neuere in thy lyf / to thy wyf / ne to thy child / ne to thy freend / ne yif no power ouer thy self / ffor bettre it were / þat thy children axen of thy persone thynges þat hem nedeth / than thow see thy self in the handes of thy children [2251] ¶ And also / if I wolde werke by thy conseilyng certes my conseil / moste som tyme be secree / til it were tyme / þat it moste be knowe / and this ne may nat be [2252. Car il est escript: la jenglerie des femmes ne puet riens céler fors ce qu'elle ne scet. [2253] Après, le philosophe dit: en mauvais conseil les femmes vainquent les hommes. Pour ces raisons je ne doy point user de ton conseil. MS of the first half of the 15th century in 'Le Ménagier de Paris,' i. 193, ed. 1846.]

[2254] ¶ Whan dame Prudence ful debonairly & with gret pacience hadde herd / al that hir housbonde liked for to seye / thanne axed she of hym / licence for to speke / and seyde in this wise [2255] ¶ My lord quod she / as to youre firste reson / certes it may lightly been answered / for I seye þat it is no folie to chaunge conseil / whan the thyng is chaunged / or ellis / whan the thyng semeth oother weys / than it was biforn [2256] ¶ And moore ouer I seye / þat thogh þat ye han sworn & bihight to parfourne youre emprise / & nathelees ye weyue to parfourne thilke same emprise by iuste cause / men sholde nat seyn therfore þat ye were a lyere / ne forsworn / [2257] for the book seith / þat the wise man / maketh no lesynge whan he turneth his corage to the bettre / [2258] And al be it so / þat youre emprise be establissed & ordeyned / by gret multitude of folk / yet thar ye nat accomplice thilke same ordinance / but yow like / [2259] for the trouthe of thynges & the profit ben rather founde in fewe folk / þat ben wise & ful of reson / than by gret multitude of folk ‖ ther euery man crieth & clatereth what þat hym liketh / soothly swich multitude / is nat honeste [2260] ¶ And to the seconde reson / where as ye seyn / þat alle wommen ben wikke / saue youre grace / certes ye despise alle wommen in this wyse / and he þat al despiseth / al displeseth / as seith the book. [2261] and Senec seith / that who so wole haue Sapi|ence / shal no man dispreise / but he shal gladly teche / the science þat he kan / withoute presumpcion or pride / [2262] and swiche thynges / as he noght ne kan / he shal nat ben ashamed to lerne hem & enquere of lasse folk than hym self [2263] ¶ And sire / þat ther hath be ful many a good womman / may lightly be preued / [2264] for certes sire / oure lord Ihesu crist wolde neuere han descended / to be born of a womman / if alle wommen hadde be wikke / [2265] And after that for the grete bountee þat is in wommen / oure lord Ihesu crist whan he was risen fro deth to lyf / appered rather to a womman / than to his apostles / [2266] And though þat Salomon seith / þat he ne foond neuere womman good / it folweth nat therfore / þat alle wommen ben wikke / [2267] for thogh þat he ne foond no good womman / certes many another man / hath founde many a womman ful good and trewe ‖ [2268] Or ellis per auenture / the entente of Salomon / was this / þat as in souereyn bountee / he foond no womman / [2269] this is to seyn / þat ther is no wight þat hath souereyn bountee / saue god allone / as he hym self recordeth / in his Euaun|gelie / [2270] for ther nys no creature so good / þat hym ne wanteth som what of the perfeccion of god / þat is his makere [2271] ¶ Youre thridde reson is this / ye seyn / þat if ye gouerne yow by my conseil / it sholde seme / þat ye hadde yeue me the maistrie and the lordshipe / ouer youre persone [2272] Sire sauf youre grace / it is nat so / for if so were / þat no man sholde be conseiled / but oonly of hem / þat hadde lordshipe & maistrie of his persone / men wolde nat ben conseiled so ofte / [2273] for soothly thilke man þat axeþ conseil of a purpos / yet hath he free choys / wheither he wole werke by that conseil / or noon [2274] ¶ And as to youre ferþe reson / ther ye seyn þat the Ianglerye of wommen / kan hide thynges that they woot nat / as who seith / þat a womman kan nat hide that þat she woot. [2275] Sire thise wordes been vnderstonde of wommen þat ben Iangleresses & wikked / [2276] of whiche wommen men seyn / þat thre thynges / dryuen a man out of his hous / that is to seyn / Smoke / droppyng of reyn / & wikked wyues / [2277] and of swiche wommen seith Salomon / þat it were bettre dwellen in desert than with a womman þat is riotous / [2278] and sire by youre leue / þat am nat .I. / [2279] for ye han ful ofte assayed / my grete silence & my grete pacience / and eek how wel þat I kan hiden & hele thynges / þat men oghten secrely to hyde [2280] ¶ And soothly / as to youre fifthe reson / wher as ye seyn / þat in wikked con|seil / wommen venquysse men / god woot thilke reson / stant heere in no stede ‖ [2281] ffor vnderstond now /. ye axen conseil / to do wikkednesse / [2282] and if ye wol werke wikkednesse / and youre wyf restreyneþ þilke wikked purpos / & ouercometh yow by reson and by good conseil / [2283] certes youre wyf oghte rather be preysed / than yblamed ‖ [2284] Thus sholde ye vnder|stonde the Philosophre / þat seith / In wikked conseil / wommen venquyssen hir housbondes [2285] ¶ And ther as ye blamen alle wommen / & hir resons / I shal shewe by manye ensamples / þat many a womman hath be ful good / and yet ben / & hir conseils holsom & profitable [2286] ¶ Eke som men han seyd / þat the conseilyng of wommen / is outher to deere / or ellis to litel of prys ‖ [2287] but al be it so / þat ful many a womman is badde / & hir conseil vile & noght worth; yet han men founde / ful many a good womman & ful discrete & wys in conseilynge [2288] ¶ Lo Iacob / by conseil of his moder Rebekka / wan the beneyson of Ysaak his fader / and the lordshipe ouer alle his bretheren [2289] ¶ Iudith by hir good conseil; deliuered the Citee of Bethulye in which she dwelled / out of þe handes of Olofernus þat hadde it biseged / & wolde it al destroye [2290] ¶ Abigail / deliuered Nabal hir housbonde / fro Dauid the kyng þat wolde han slayn hym / & apaised the Ire of the kyng by hir wit & by hir good conseil|yng [2291] ¶ Hester by hir good conseil / enhaunced gretly the peple of god in the regne of Assuerus the kyng. [2292] And the same bountee in good conseilyng of many a good womman / may men telle [2293] ¶ And moore ouer / whan þat oure lord / hadde creat Adam oure forme fader / he seyde in this wise / [2294] It is nat goode to be / a man allone / make we to hym an help / semblable to hym self / [2295] ¶ Heere may ye se / þat if þat wommen were nat goode / & hir conseil / good & profitable / [2296] oure lord god of heuene / wolde neither han wroght hem / ne called hem help of man / but rather / confusion of man ‖ [2297] And ther seyde ones a clerk in two vers [Note at bottom of leaf 219:— Auro quid melius./ iaspis; quid iaspis. sensus. Sensu quid./ Mulier; quid Muliere./ nichil;¶ What is bettre than gold / Iaspre / What is bettre than Iaspre / wisdom ‖ [2298] And what is bettre than wisdom / Womman / and what is bettre than good Womman / no thyng [2299] ¶ And sire / by manye of othere resons may ye seen / þat manye wommen ben goode / & hir conseil good & profitable; [2300] And ther fore sire / if ye wol truste to my conseil / I shal restore yow youre doghter / hool & sound / [2301] and eek / I wol doon to yow so muche / þat ye shul haue honour in this cause;

[2302] ¶ Whan Melibe hadde herd the wordes / of his wyf Prudence / he seyde thus [2303] ¶ I se wel / þat the word of Salomon / is sooth ‖. he seith / þat wordes þat ben spoken discretly by ordinance / beth honycombes / for they yeue swetnesse to the soule / & holsomnesse to the body ‖ [2304] And wyf / by cause of the swete wordes / and eek for I haue assayed & preued / thy grete sapience & thy grete trouthe / I wol gouerne me by thy conseil / in alle thyng

[2305] ¶ Now sire / quod dame Prudence / and syn ye vouche sauf/ to been gouerned by my conseil / I wol enforme yow / how ye shal gouerne yow self/ in chesynge of youre conseilours [2306] ¶ Ye shal first in alle youre werkes / mekely biseken to the heighe god / þat he wol be youre conseillour / [2307] & shapeth yow to swich entente / þat he yeue yow conseil / & confort as taughte Thobie his sone ‖ [2308] At alle tymes / thow shalt blesse god & praye hym to dresse thy weyes / and looke þat alle thy conseils ben in hym for euere moore [2309] ¶ Seint Iame eek seith ‖ If any of yow / haue nede of Sapience / axe it of god / [2310] and afterward thanne shal ye take conseil in your self / & examyne wel youre thoghtes / of swiche thynges as yow thynketh / þat is best for youre profit [2311] and thanne shal ye dryue fro youre herte / thre thynges / that been contrariouse to good conseil / [2312] that is to seyn / Ire / Coueitise / & hastynesse

[2313] ¶ ffirst he þat axeth conseil of hym self / certes he moste be with-outen Ire / for many causes [2314] ¶ The firste is this ‖ he þat hath greet Ire & wrathe in hym self / he weneth alwey þat he may do thyng þat he may nat do ‖ [2315] And secoundly / he þat is Irous & wroþ / he ne may nat wel deme / [2316] and he þat may nat wel deme / may nat wel conseille ‖ [2317] The thridde is this / that he þat is Irous & wroþ as seith Senek ne may nat speke / but blameful thynges / [2318] and with hise viciouse wordes / he stireth oother folk to angre / & to Ire // [2319] And eek sire / ye moste dryue coueitise / out of youre herte / [2320] ffor the Apostle seith / þat Coueitise / is the roote of alle harmes / [2321] and trust wel / þat a coueitous man ne kan nat deme / ne thenke / but oonly to fulfille the ende of his coueitise / [2322] & certes / that ne may neuere been acompliced / for euere the moore habundance þat he hath of richesse / the moore he desireth [2323] ¶ And sire / ye moste also / dryue out of youre herte / hastifnesse / for certes [2324] ye may nat deme for þe beste / a sodeyn thoght þat falleth in youre herte / but ye moste auyse yow on it ful ofte [2325] for as ye herde her biforn / the comune prouerbe is this / that he / þat soone demeth / soone repenteth

[2326] Sire ye ne ben nat alwey / in lyke disposicion / [2327] for certes / som thyng þat som tyme semeth to yow / þat it is good for to do / another tyme / it semeth to yow the contrarie /

[2328] whan ye han taken conseil in your self / and han demed by good deliberacion/ swich thyng/ as yow semeth best [2329] ¶ Thanne rede I yow / þat ye kepe it secree / [2330] biwrey nat youre conseil / to no persone / but if so be þat ye wenen sikerly / þat thurgh yowre bywreyyng youre condicion shal ben to yow moore profitable ‖ [2331] ffor Ihesus Syrak seith ‖ Neither to thy foo ne to thy freend / discouere nat thy secree / ne thy folie / [2332] for they wol yeue yow audience / & lokyng & supportacion in thy presence / & scorne thee in thyn absence [2333] ¶ Another clerk seith / þat scarsly shaltow fynden any persone / þat may kepe conseil secrely [2334] ¶ The book seith / whil þat thow kepest thy conseil in thyn herte / thow kepest it in thy prison / [2335] And whan thow biwreyest thy conseil to any wight he holdeth thee in his snare / [2336] And therfore yow is bettre to hide youre conseil in youre herte / than preyen hym / to whom ye haue biwreyed youre conseil / þat he wol kepen it cloos & stille [2337] ¶ ffor Seneca seith / If so be / þat thou ne mayst nat thyn owene conseil hyde / how dorstow preyen any oother wight thy conseil secrely to kepe ‖ [2338] But nathelees / if thow wene sikerly / þat thy biwreyyng of thy conseil to a persone / wol maken thy condicion / to stonden in the bettre plyt thanne shaltow telle hym thy conseil / in this wise [2339] ¶ ffirst thow shalt make no semblant/ wheither thee were leuere / pees or werre / or this / or that / ne shewe hym nat thy wyl & thyn entente / [2340] for trust wel þat comunely / thise conseillours ben flaterers / [2341] namely / the conseillours of grete lordes / [2342] for they enforcen hem alwey / rather to speke plesante wordes / enclynynge to the lordes lust than wordes þat ben trewe / or profitable / [2343] And therfore men seyn / þat the riche man hath selde good con|seil / but if he haue it of hym self / [2344] And after that thow shalt considere thy freendes / & thyne enemys / [2345] And as touchynge thy freendes / thow shalt con|sidere / whiche of hem þat been moost feithfulle / & moost wise / & eldest & moost approued in conseillyng [2346] and of hem / shaltow axe thy conseil / as the cas requyreth

[2347] ¶ I seye / þat first ye shul clepe to youre con|seyl / youre freendes / þat ben trewe ‖ [2348] ffor Salomon seith / þat right as the herte of a man / deliteth in sauour þat is soote; right so the conseil of trewe freendes / yeueth swetnesse to the soule / [2349] ¶ He seith also / ther may no thyng be likned to the trewe freend / [2350] for certes / gold ne siluer / ben noght so muche worth / as the goode wyl / of a trewe freend ‖ [2351] And eek he seith / þat a trewe freend is a strong defense / who so þat it fyndeth / certes he fyndeth a gret tresor [2352] ¶ Thanne shul ye eek considere / if þat youre trewe freendes been discrete & wise / for the book seith ‖ Axe alwey thy conseil / of hem þat been wise / [2353] And by this same reson / shul ye clepen to youre conseil / of yowre freendes / þat ben of age / swiche as han seighen / & ben expert of manye thynges / & ben approued in conseilynges / [2354] ffor the book seiþ / þat in olde men is the sapience / and in longe tyme the prudence [2355] ¶ And Tullius seith / þat grete thynges / ne ben nat ay acompliced by strengthe / ne by delyuernesse of body / but by good conseil / by Auctoritee of persones / & by Science / the whiche thre thynges / ne been nat fieble by age / but certes they enforcen / and en|cressen day by day [2356] And thanne shal ye kepe this / for a general rule ‖ ffirst shal ye clepe to youre conseil / a fewe of youre freendes / þat ben especiale ‖ [2357] ffor Salomon seith / manye freendes / haue thow / but among a thousand / chees thee oon / to be thy conseil|lour / [2358] for al be it so / þat thow first ne telle thy conseil / but to a fewe / thow mayst afterward telle it to mo folk if it be nede / [2359] but looke alwey þat thy conseillours haue thilke thre condicions / þat I haue seyd bifore / that is to seye / þat they be trewe / wise / and of old experience / [2360] And werk nat alwey in euery nede / by o conseillour allone / for som tyme bihoueth it to be conseiled by manye / [2361] for Salomon seith / Saluacion of thynges / is wher as ther ben manye conseilours

[2362] ¶ Now sith þat I haue told yow / of which folk ye sholde be conseilled / now wol I teche yow / which conseil ye oghte eschue [2363] ¶ ffirst ye shul eschue / the conseillyng of fooles / for Salomon seith / take no con|seil of a fool / for he ne kan nat conseille / but after his owene lust and his affeccion / [2364] ¶ The book seith / that the propretee of a fool is this ‖ he troweþ lightly / harm of euery wight & lightly troweth alle bountee in hym self // [2365] Tow shalt eek eschue / the conseillyng of alle flaterers / swiche as enforcen hem rather to preise youre persone by flaterye / than for to telle yow the sooth|fastnesse of thynges

[2366] ¶ Wherfore Tullius seith / Among alle the pestilences þat been in frendshipe / the gretteste is fiaterye / And therfore is it moore nede / þat thow eschue & drede flaterers / than any oother peple ‖ [2367] The book seith / thow shalt rather drede & flee fro the swete wordes / of flaterynge preiseres / than fro the egre wordes of thy freend / that seith thee thy sothes [2368] ¶ Salomon seith / that the wordes of a flaterere / is a Snare to cacchen Innocentz ‖ [2369] He seith also / þat he þat speketh to his freend / wordes of swetnesse / and of plesance / setteth a Net biforn his feet to cacchen hym ‖ [2370] And therfore / seith Tullius ‖ Enclyne nat thyne erys to flatereres / ne tak no conseil / of wordes of flaterye [2371] ¶ And Caton seith ‖ Auyse thee wel / & eschue wordes of swetnesse & of plesance [2372] ¶ And eek thow shalt eschue / the conseillyng of thynne olde enemys þat ben reconsiled ‖ [2373] The book seith / that no wight retourneth saufly in to the grace of his olde enemy ‖ [2374] And Ysope seith / Ne trust nat to hem / to whiche / thow hast had som tyme werre / or enemytee / ne telle hem nat thy conseil ‖ [2375] And Seneca / telleth the cause why ‖ It may nat be seith he / that where as greet fyr / hath longe tyme endured / þat ther ne dwelleth som vapour of warmnesse ‖ [2376] And ther fore seith Salomon ‖ In thyn olde foo / trust neuere / [2377] for sikerly / thogh thyn enemy be reconsiled / & maketh thee / cheere of humylitee / & louteth to thee with his heed / ne trust hym neuere / [2378] for certes / he maketh thilke feyned humylitee / moore for his profit than for any loue of thy persone / by cause þat he dem|eth / to haue victorie ouer thy persone / by swich feyned continance / the which victorie / he myghte nat haue / by strif or werre [2379] ¶ And Peter Alfonce seith ‖ Make no felaweshipe / with thyne olde enemys / for if thow do hem bountee / they wol peruerten it in to wikkednesse [2380] ¶ And eek thou most eschue / the conseillyng of hem þat ben thy seruantz / & beren thee gret reuerence / for perauenture / they seyn it moore / for drede than for loue / [2381] & therfore / seith a Philosophre / in this wise ‖ Ther is no wight perfitly trewe / to hym / þat he to soore dredeth ‖ [2382] And Tullius seith / Ther nys no myght so gret / of any Emperour / þat longe may endure / but if he haue moore loue of the peple than drede [2383] ¶ Thou shalt also eschue the conseillyng of folk þat ben dronkelewe ‖ for they ne kan no conseil hyde ‖ [2384] ffor Salomon seith / Ther is no priuetee / ther as regneth dronkenesse [2385] ¶ Ye shal also han in suspect the conseilyng of swich folk as conseile yow a thyng priuely / & conseille yow / the contrarie openly ‖ [2386] ffor Cassiodorie seith / That it is a manere sleighte to hyndre / whan he sheweth to doon a thyng openly / and werketh pryuely the contrarie [2387] ¶ Thow shalt also haue in suspect the conseilyng of wikked folk ‖ ffor the book seith / The conseilyng of wikked folk is alwey ful of fraude ‖ [2388] And Dauid seith ‖ Blisful is that man / þat hath nat folwed the conseilyng of sherewes [2389] ¶ Thow shalt also eschue the conseilyng of yong folk / for hir conseil is nat rype

[2390] ¶ Now sire / sith I haue shewed yow / of which folk ye shul take youre conseil / and of which folk ye schul folwe the conseil ‖. [2391] now wol I teche yow / how ye shul examyne youre conseil / after the doctrine of Tullius [2392] ¶ In the examynynge thanne of youre conseillour / ye shul considere many thynges // [2393] Alderfirst / thou shalt considere / þat in thilke thyng þat thow purposest / & vp on what thyng thow wolt haue conseil / þat verray trouthe / be seyd & conserued / this is to seyn / telle trewely thy tale / [2394] for he þat seith fals / may nat wel be conseiled / in that cas / of which he lyeth [2395] ¶ And after this / thow shalt considere / the thynges þat acorden / to that thow purposest for to do / by thy conseil|lours / if reson acorde ther to / [2396] and eek if thy myght may atteyne ther to / and if the moore part & the bettre part of thy conseillours / acorde ther to / or no [2397] ¶ Thanne shaltow considere / what thyng shal folwe of that conseilyng as hate / pees / werre / grace / profit or damage / & many othere thynges / [2398] And in alle thise thynges / thow shalt chese the beste / and weyue alle othere thynges [2399] ¶ Thanne shaltow considere / of what roote is engendred the matere of thy conseil / and what fruyt it may conceyue & engendre [2400] ¶ Thow shalt eek considere alle thise causes / from whennes they ben sprongen ‖ [2401] And whan ye haue examyned youre conseil / as I haue seyd / & which partie is the bettre & moore profitable / & han approued it / by manye wise folk & olde; [2402] thanne shaltow considere / if thou mayst parforme it / & maken of it a good ende [2403] ¶ ffor reson wol nat þat any man sholde bigynne a thyng. but if he myghte parforme it / as hym oghte ‖ [2404] Ne no wight sholde take vp on hym so heuy charge / þat he myghte nat beren it ‖ [2405] ffor the prouerbe seith /. he þat to muche embraceth / destreyneth litel ‖ [2406] And Caton seith / Assay to do swich thyng as thow hast power to doon / lest þat the charge / oppresse thee so soore / þat thee bihoueth / to weyue thyng þat thow hast bigonne ‖ [2407] And if so be / þat thow be in doute / wheither thow mayst parfourne a thyng / or noon; chees rather to suffre / than bigynne / [2408] ‖ And Peter Alfonce seith ¶ If thow hast myght to doon a thyng of which thow most repente / it is bettre / nay / than ye / [2409] this is to seyn / þat thee is bettre / to holde thy tonge stille / than for to speke [2410] ¶ Thanne may ye vnderstonde by strenger resons / þat if thow hast power / to parforme a werk of which thow shalt repente / thanne is it bettre þat thow suffre / than bigynne ‖ [2411] wel seyn they / þat defenden euery wight to assaye / a thyng of which he is in doute / wheither he may parforme it or no [2412] ¶ And after / whan ye haue examyned youre conseil / as I haue seyd biforn / & knowen wel þat ye may par|forme youre emprise / conferme it thanne sadly / til it be at an ende

[2413] ¶ Now it is reson and tyme / þat I shewe yow / whanne & wherfore / þat ye may chaunge youre conseil|lours / with oute youre reproue ‖ [2414] Soothly / man may chaungen his purpos / and his conseil / if the cause cesseth / or whan a newe cas bitideth ‖ [2415] for the lawe seith / þat vp on thynges / þat newely bitideth / bihoueth newe conseil [2416] ¶ And Seneca seith ‖ If thy conseil is come / to the erys of thyn enemy / chaunge thy conseil [2417] ¶ Thow mayst also chaunge thy conseil / if so be þat thou fynde þat by errour / or by oother cause / harm / or damage / may bityde [2418] ¶ Also / if thy conseil be deshoneste / or ellis cometh of deshoneste cause / chaunge thy conseil ‖ [2419] for the lawes seyn / that alle bihestes / þat ben deshoneste / ben of no value / [2420] And eek if it so be / þat it be inpossible / or may nat goodly be performed / or kept ‖

[2421] And take this / for a general rule ‖ That euery conseil / þat is affermed so strongly / þat it may nat be chaunged / for no condicion / þat may bityde / .I seye that thilke conseil is wikked

[2422] ¶ This Melibeus / whan he hadde herd / the doc|trine of his wyf/ Dame Prudence / answerde in this wise [2423] ¶ Dame quod he / as yet in to this tyme / ye han wel & couenably taught me / as in general / how I shal gouerne me / in chesynge / & in the withholdyng of my conseillours ‖ [2424] But now wolde I fayn / þat ye wolde condescenden in especial / [2425] & telle me how liketh yow / or what semeth yow / by oure conseillours / þat we han chosen in oure present nede

[2426] My lord quod she / I biseke yow / in al hum|blesse / þat ye wol nat wilfully / replye ayein my resons / ne distempre youre herte / thogh I speke thyng þat yow displese / [2427] for god woot þat as in myn entente / I speke it for youre beste / for youre honour / & for youre profit eke / [2428] And soothly I hope / þat youre be|nygnytee / wol taken it in pacience [2429] ¶ Trusteth me wel quod she / þat youre conseil / as in this cas / ne sholde nat as to speke proprely / be called a conseilyng but a mocion or a moeuyng of folie / [2430] in which conseil / ye han erred / in many a sondry wise

[2431] ¶ ffirst & forward / ye han erred / in the assem|blyng of youre conseillours / [2432] for ye sholde first han clepid a fewe folk/ to youre conseil / and after / ye myghte han shewed it to mo folk if it hadde be nede [2433] ¶ But certes / ye han sodeynly clepid to youre con|seil / a gret multitude of peple / ful chargeant/ & ful anoyous for to heere [2434] ¶ Also ye han erred / for ther as ye sholde oonly / han clepid to youre conseil / youre trewe freendes / olde / & wise / [2435] ye han yclepid straunge folk. yong folk / false flatereres / & enemys reconsiled / & folk/ þat doon yow reuerence withouten loue [2436] ¶ And eek also / ye han erred / for ye han broght with yow / to youre conseil./ Ire / Coueitise / & hastifnesse /. [2437] the whiche thre thynges / ben contra|riouse / to euery conseil honeste / & profitable /. [2438] the whiche thre thynges / ye han nat anientissed / or destroyed hem / neither in youre self ne in youre conseillours / as ye oghte / ‖ [2439] ¶ Ye han erred also / for ye han shewed to youre conseillours / youre talent & youre affeccion / to make werre anon / & for to do vengeance / [2440] they han espied by youre wordes / to what thyng ye ben enclyned ‖ [2441] And ther-fore / han they conseilled yow / rather / to youre talent than to youre profit [2442] ¶ Ye han erred also / for it semeth / þat yow suffiseth / to han ben con|seilled / by thise conseilours oonly / & with litel auys / [2443] wher as in so gret & so heigh a nede / it hadde ben necessarie / mo conseilours / & moore deliberacion / to performe youre emprise [2444] ¶ Ye han erred also / for ye ne han nat examyned youre conseil in the forseyde manere / ne in due manere / as the cas requyreth [2445] ¶ Ye han erred also / for ye han maked no diuision bitwixe youre conseilours / this is to seyn / bytwixe youre trewe freendes / & youre feyned conseilours / [2446] ne ye ne haue nat knowe thewyl / of youre trewe freendes / olde / and wise / [2447] but ye han cast alle hir wordes / in an hochepot & enclyned youre herte / to the moore part & to the gretter nombre / & ther be ye condescended ‖ [2448] And sith ye woot wel / þat men shal alwey fynde / a gretter nombre of foolis / than of wise men / [2449] and therfore / the conseils þat ben at congregacions / and mul|titudes of folk/ ther as men take moore reward / to the nombre / than to the sapience of persones / [2450] ye se wel / þat in swyche conseillynges / foolis han the maistrie [2451] ¶ Melibeus answerde agayn / and seyde / I graunte wel þat I haue erred / [2452] but ther as thow hast toold me her biforn / þat he ne is nat to blame / þat chaungeth his con|seillours / in certeyn cas / & for certeyne Iuste causes / [2453] I am al redy / to chaunge my conseilours / right as thow wolt deuyse ‖ [2454] The prouerbe seith / that for to do synne / is mannysshhumanum / but certes / for to perseuere longe in synne is werk of the deuel

[2455] ¶ To this sentence / answerde anon dame Pru|dence / & seyde ‖ [2456] Examyneth quod she youre con|seil / & lat vs se / the whiche of hem / han spoken moost resonably / & taught yow best conseil / [2457] And for as muche / as þat the examinacion is necessarie / lat vs bigynne / at the Sirurgiens / and at the Phisiciens / þat first speeken in this matere ‖ [2458] I sey yow þat the Sirurgiens & Phisiciens / han seyd yow in youre con|seil / discretly / as hem oghte / [2459] And in hir speche / seyden ful wysly / that to the office of hem / aperteneth / to doon to euery wight honour & profit. and no wight to anoye / [2460] and after hir craft to doon gret diligence vn-to the cure of hem / whiche þat they han in hir gouern|ance [2461] ¶ And sire / right as they han answered wysly & discretly / [2462] right so rede .I. / þat they be heighly & souereynly gerdoned / for hir noble speche / [2463] and eek for they shullen / do the moore ententif bisynesse / in the curacion of thy doghter deere ‖ [2464] ffor al be it so / that they ben youre freendes / therfore shal ye nat suffren / þat they serue you for noght. [2465] but ye oghte / the rather gerdone hem / & shewen hem youre largesse ‖ [2466] And as touchynge the proposicion / which þat the Physiciens / encresceden in this cas / this is to seyn / [2467] that in maladies / that a contrarie / is warisshed / by another contrarie [2468] I wolde fayn knowe / how ye vnderstande thilke text & what is youre sentence [2469] ¶ Certes quod Melibeus / I vnderstonde it in this wise ‖ [2470] that right as they han doon me a contrarie / right so / sholde I / doon hem another / [2471] for right as they han venged hem on me / & doon me wrong right so / shal I venge me vp-on hem / & doon hem wrong [2472] & thanne haue I cured / a contrarie by another

[2473] ¶ Lo / lo / quod dame Prudence / how lightly is euery man enclyned / to his owene desir / and to his owene plesance ‖ [2474] Certes quod she / the wordes of the Phisiciens / ne sholde nat han ben vnderstonden / in that wise ‖ [2475] for certes wikkednesse / is nat contrarie to wikkednesse / ne vengeance / to vengeance / ne wrong to wrong but they ben semblable ‖ [2476] And ther|fore / .o. vengeance is nat warisshed / by another venge|ance / ne .o. wrong by another wrong [2477] but euerich of hem encresceth / & aggreggeth oother [2478] ¶ But certes / the wordes of thise Phisiciens / sholde ben vnderstonde / in this wise ‖ [2479] ffor good & wikked|nesse / ben two contraries / and pees & werre / venge|ance & suffrance / discord & acord / and many othere thynges ‖ [2480] But certes / wikked / shal be warisshed by goodnesse / discord. by acord / werre. by pees / and so forth of othere thynges ‖ [2481] And her to / acordeth Seynt Poul the Apostle / in many places / [2482] he seith / Ne yeldeth noght harm for harm / ne wikked speche / for wikked speche / [2483] but do wel / to hym þat dooth to thee harm / & blesse hym / þat seith to thee harm / [2484] And in manye othere places / he amonesteth pees & acord [2485] ¶ But now wol I speke to yow / of the con|seil / which þat was yeuen to yow / by the men of lawe / & the wise folk [2486] þat seyden alle by oon acord / as ye han herd bifore ‖ [2487] That ouer alle thynges / ye shal do youre diligence to kepe youre persone / & to warnestore youre hous / [2488] & seyden also / þat in this cas ye oghten for to werke / ful auysely / & with greet deliberacion [2489] ¶ And sire / as to the firste point that toucheth / to the kepyng of youre persone / [2490] ye shul vnderstonde / that he þat hath werre / shal euere moore deuoutly & mekely / preyen / byforn alle thynges / [2491] þat Ihesus crist of his mercy / wol han hym in his proteccion / & ben his souereyn helpyng at his nede [2492] ¶ for certes in this world / ther is no wight þat may be conseilled ne kept suffisantly / with oute the kepyng of oure lord Ihesu Crist [2493] ¶ To this sentence / acordeth the prophete Dauid / that seith / [2494] If god ne kepe Citee / in ydel / waketh he þat it kepeth [2495] ¶ Now syre / thanne shul ye / committe the kepyng of youre persone / to youre trewe freendes / þat been approued and yknowe / [2496] & of hem / shul ye axen help / youre persone for to kepe ‖ ffor Caton seith / If thou hast nede of helpe / axe it of thy freendes / [2497] for ther nys noon so good a Phisicien / as thy trewe freend [2498] ¶ And after this / thanne shul ye kepe yow / fro alle straunge folk & fro lyeres / & haue alwey / in suspect hir compaignye [2499] ¶ ffor Piers Alfonce seith / Ne taak no compaignye / by the wey / of a straunge man / but if so be / þat thow haue knowe hym / of a lenger tyme / [2500] And if so be / þat he falle in-to thy compaignye / par|auenture / with-outen thyn assent. [2501] enquere thanne / as subtilly as thow mayst of his conuersacion / & of his lyf bifore / And feyne thy wey / Sey þat thow wolt go thider / as thow wolt nat go / [2502] And if he bereth a spere / hoold thee on the right syde / And if he bere a swerd / hoold thee on the left syde [2503] ¶ And after this / thanne shal ye kepe yow wysly / from al swich manere peple / as I haue seyd bifore / & hem & hir conseil eschewe [2504] ¶ And after this / thanne shal ye kepe yow in swich manere / [2505] that for any presumpcion of youre strengthe / þat ye ne despise nat ne attempte nat the myght of youre Aduersarie / so lite / þat ye lete / the kepyng of youre persone / for youre presumpcion / [2506] for euery wys man / dredeth his enemy [2507] And Salomon seyth ¶ Weleful is he / þat of alle hath drede ‖ [2508] ffor certes he þat thurgh the hardynesse of his herte / & thurgh the hardynesse of hym self hath to gret presumpcion / hym shal yuel bityde [2509] ¶ Thanne shal ye euere mo countrewayte emboyssementz & al espiaille [2510] ¶ ffor Senek seith / þat the wise man þat dredeth harmes / escheweth harmes / [2511] ne he ne falleth in-to perils / þat perils escheweth / [2512] And al be so / þat it seme / þat thow art in siker place; yet shaltow alwey do thy diligence / in kepyng of thy persone / [2513] this is to seyn / ne be nat necligent to kepe thy persone / nat oonly fro thy grettest enemys / but fro thy leeste enemy [2514] ¶ Senek seith ‖ A man þat is wel auysed / he dredeth his leste enemy ‖ [2515] Ouyde seith ‖ that the litel wesele / wol slee the grete Bole / & the wilde hert [2516] ¶ And the book seith / a litel thorn may prikke a kyng ful soore / And an hound / wol holde the wilde boor ‖ [2517] But nathelees / I sey nat/ thow shalt be so coward / þat thow doute / ther / wher as is no drede ‖ [2518] The book seith / that som folk haue gret lust to deceyue / but yet they dreden hem / to be de|ceyued / [2519] yet shaltow drede / to been empoysoned / & kepe thee / from the compaignye of scorneres / [2520] ¶ ffor the book seith / with Scorneres / make no compaignye / but flee hire wordes / as venym

[2521] ¶ Now as to the seconde point where as youre wise conseilours / conseiled yow / to warnestore youre hous with gret diligence;/ [2522] I wolde fayn knowe / how þat ye vnderstonde thilke wordes / & what is youre sentence

[2523] ¶ Melibeus answerde & seyde ‖ Certes / I vnder|stonde it in this wise / that I shal warnestore myn hous / with toures / swiche as han Castelles / & othere manere edifices / & armure / & Artelries / [2524] by whiche thynges / I may my persone & myn hous / so kepen & defenden / þat myne enemys shul been in drede / myn hous for to approche

[2525] ¶ To thys sentence / answerde anon Prudence ‖ Warnestoryng quod she of heighe toures / & of grete edifices / [appartiennent aucune foiz a orgeul [2526] Aprez len fait les tours et les edifices ()] with grete costages / & with gret trauaille / and whan þat they been accompliced / yet be they nat worth a stree / but if they been defended / by trewe freendes / that been oolde / and wise [2527] ¶ And vnderstonde wel / þat the gretteste / and the strengeste garnyson / þat ryche man may haue / as wel / to kepen his persone / as his goodes; is [2528] þat he be biloued with his subgetz and with his neighebores [2529] ¶ ffor thus seith Tullius / that ther is a manere garneson / þat no man may venquyse ne discomfite / and þat is / [2530] a lord / to be biloued / of his Citezeins / and of his peple

[2531] ¶ Now sire / as to the .iij.e poynt wher as youre olde and wise conseilours / seiden / þat yow ne oghte nat sodeynly / ne hastily / proceden in this nede / [2532] but þat yow oghte purueien and apparailen yow in this cas / with greet diligence and greet deliberacion; [2533] trewely / I trowe þat they seyden right wisely / and right sooth [2534] ¶ ffor Tullius seith ‖ In euery nede / er thow bigynne it apparayle thee / with greet diligence ‖ [2535] thanne seye I / þat in vengeance takynge / in werre / in bataile / and in warnestorynge / [2536] er thow bigynne / I rede þat thow apparaile thee ther-to / and do it with greet deliberacion [2537] ¶ ffor Tullius seith / that long apparailynge biforn the bataile / maketh short victorie ‖ [2538] And Cassidorus seith / the garneson is strenger / whan it is long tyme auysed

[2539] ¶ But now lat vs speke of the conseil þat was acorded by youre neighebores swiche as doon yow reuerence / with-outen loue / [2540] youre olde enemys recon|siled / youre flaterers / [2541] þat conseileden yow cer|teyne thynges pryuely / and openly conseileden yow the contrarie ‖ [2542] The yonge folk also / þat conseileden yow / to venge yow / and make werre anoon; [2543] And certes sire / as I haue seyd biforn ‖ ye han greetly erred / to han clepid swich maner folk/ to youre conseil / [2544] whiche conseilours been ynow repreued bi the resons foreseyd / [2545] but nathelees / lat vs now descende to the special ¶ Ye shuln first proceden after the doctryne of Tullius ‖ [2546] Certes / the trouthe of this matere / or of this conseil / nedeth nat/ diligently enquere / [2547] for it is wel wist whiche they been / that han doon to yow / this trespas and vileynye / [2548] and how manye trespasours / and in what manere / they han to yow doon al this wrong and al this vileynye [2549] ¶ And after this / thanne shulle ye examyne the .ij.e condicion / which þat the same Tullius addeth in this matere / [2550] for Tullius put a thyng/ which þat he clepeth consentynge / this is to seyn / [2551] who been they and whiche been they / and how manye þat consenten to thy conseil in thy wilfulnesse / to do hastif vengeance / [2552] And lat vs considere also / who been they and how manye been they / and whiche been they / þat consenteden / to youre Aduersaries [2553] ¶ And certes / as to the firste poynt it is wel knowen whiche folk been they / þat consenteden / to youre hastif wilful|nesse / [2554] for trewely alle tho / þat conseileden yow to maken sodeyn werre / ne been nat youre freendes ‖ [2555] Lat vs now considere whiche been they þat ye holde so greetly youre freendes / as to youre persone / [2556] for al be it so / þat ye be myghty and ryche; certes / ye ne been / but allone / [2557] for certes / ye ne han no child but a doghter / [2558] ne ye ne han bretheren / ne cosyns germayns / ne noon oother ney kynrede / [2559] wherfore / þat youre enemys / for drede sholden stynte / to plede with yow / or destroye youre persone [2560] ¶ Ye knowe also / þat youre richesses / moten be despended in diuerse parties / [2561] and whan þat euery wight hath his part they ne wollen take but litel reward / to venge thy deeth ‖ [2562] but thyne enemys / been .iij.e and they han manye children /bretheren / cosyns / and oother ney kynrede / [2563] and thogh so were / thow haddest slayn of hem .ij.o or .iij.e yet dwellen ther ynowe / to wreken hir deeth / and to sle thy persone ‖ [2564] and thogh so be / þat youre kynrede be moore syker and stedefast than the kyn of youre aduersarie; / [2565] yet nathelees / youre kynrede / nys but a fer kynrede / they been / but litel syb to yow / [2566] and the kyn of youre enemys / been ney syb to hem / and certes as in that hir condicion / is bet than youres [2567] ¶ Thanne / lat vs considere also / if the conseilynge / of hem þat conseileden yow to taken sodeyn vengeance / wheither it acorde to reson; [2568] And certes / ye knowe wel nay; [2569] for as by right and reson / ther may no man take vengeance on no wight but the Iuge þat hath the Iurisdiccion of it [2570] whan it is ygraunted hym to take thilke vengeance hastily / or at|temprely / as the lawe requereth [2571] ¶ And yet more ouer / of thilke word / that Tullius clepith / consentynge; [2572] thow shalt considere / if thy myght and thy power may consente and suffise / to thy wilfulnesse and to thy conseilours / [2573] And certes / thow mayst wel seyn / that nay / [2574] for sikerly as for to speke proprely / we may do no thyng but oonly swich thyng as we may do rightfully / [2575] and certes / rightfully ne mowe ye take no vengeance / as of youre propre auctoritee / [2576] thanne mowe ye seen / that youre power ne consenteth nat/ ne acordeth nat with youre wilfulnesse [2577] ¶ Lat vs now examyne the .iij.e poynt that Tullius clepith Consequent ‖ [2578] Thow shalt vnderstande / that the vengeance þat thow purposest for to taken / is the conse|quent [2579] and ther-of folweth another vengeance / peril / and werre / and othere damages with-oute nombre / of whiche / we been nat waar / as at this tyme [2580] ¶ And as touchynge the .iiij.e poynt that Tullius clepith en|gendrynge / [2581] thow shalt considere / that this wrong which that is doon to thee / is engendred / of the hate of thyne enemys / [2582] and of the vengeance takynge vp-on that wolde engendre another vengeance / and muchil sorwe / and wastynge of richesses / as I seyde

[2583] ¶ Now sire / as touchynge to the poynt that Tul|lius clepith causes / which þat is the laste poynt; [2584] thow shalt vnderstonde / þat the wrong þat thow hast receyued / hath certeyne causes / [2585] whiche þat clerkes clepen Oriens and Efficiens / and Causa longinqua / and causa propinqua / this is to seyn; the fer cause / and the ny cause / [2586] the fer cause / is almyghty god that is cause of alle thynges ‖ [2587] the neer cause / is thy thre enemys / [2588] the cause accidental / was hate / [2589] the cause material / been the .v. woundes of thy doghter / [2590] the cause formal / is the manere of hir werkynge / that broghten laddres and clomben In at thy wyndowes / [2591] the cause final / was for to sle thy doghter / it lettyd nat / in as muche as was in hem was ‖ [2592] but for to speke of the fer cause; as to what ende they shul come /; or what shal finally bityde of hem in this cas; ne kan I nat deme / but by coniectynge and by supposynge / [2593] for we shuln suppose / that they shul come to a wikked ende / [2594] by cause / þat the book of decrees seith ¶ Selden / or with greet peyne been causes ybroght to good ende / whan they been baddely bigonne

[2595] ¶ Now sire / if men wolden axe me / why þat god suffrede men to do yow this vileynye; certes I kan nat wel answere / as for no soothfastnesse ‖ [2596] for the Apostle seith / that the sciences and the Iugementz of oure lord god almyghty / been ful depe / [2597] ther may no man comprehende ne serchen hem suffisantly [2598] ¶ Nathelees / by certeyne presumpcions and coniectynges / I holde & bileue / [2599] that god / which þat is ful of Iustice and of rightwisnesse / hath suffred this bityde / by Iuste cause resonable

[2600] ¶ Thy name is Melibe / this is to seyn / a man that drynketh hony / [2601] thow hast y-dronke so muchil hony / of swete temporel richesses and delices and hon|ours of this world / [2602] that thow art dronken / and hast forgeten Ihesu crist thy creatour / [2603] thow ne hast nat doon to hym / swich honour and reuerence as thee oghte; [2604] ne thow ne hast nat wel taken kepe / to the wordes of Ouyde ‖ that seith / [2605] vnder the hony of the goodes of thy body; is hyd the venym / that sleth the soule [2606] ¶ And Salomon seith ‖ If thow hast founden hony / ete of it that suffiseth / [2607] for if thow ete of it out of mesure; thow shalt spewe / and be nedy and poore / [2608] and perauenture / Crist hath thee in despit and hath torned awey fro thee his face / and his erys of misericorde / [2609] and also he hath suffred / þat thow hast been punysshed in the manere þat thow hast ytrespased; [2610] ¶ Thow hast doon synne agayn oure lord Crist ‖ [2611] for certes / the .iij.e enemys of man|kynde / that is to seyn / the flessh / the feend / and the world / [2612] thow hast suffred hem / entre in to thyn herte wilfully / by the wyndowes of thy body / [2613] and hast nat defendid thy self / suffisantly agayns hir assautes & hir temptacions / so þat they han woundid thy soule. in .v. places ‖ [2614] this is to seyn / the dedly synnes / þat been entred in to thyn herte by thy .v. wittes ‖ [2615] And in the same manere / oure lord Crist hath wold & suffred / þat thy .iij.e enemys been entred in to thyn hous by the wyndowes / [2616] and han ywoundid thy doghter in the forseyde manere

[2617] ¶ Certes quod Melibe / I se wel / þat ye en|force yow muchil by wordes to ouercome me in swich a manere / þat I shal nat venge me of myne enemys / [2618] shewynge me the perils & the yueles / þat myghten falle of this vengeance ‖ [2619] But who so wolde considere in alle vengeances / the perils and yueles þat myghten sewe of vengeance takynge; [2620] a man wolde neuere take vengeance / and that were harm / [2621] for by the venge|ance takynge / been the wikked men disseuered / fro the goode men / [2622] and they þat han wil to do wikked|nesse / restreyne hir wikked purpos / whan they seen the punysshynge & chastisynge of trespassours ‖

[2623] [A ce respond dame Prudence: certes, dist-elle, je vous octroie que de vengence vient moult de biens; [2624] mais faire vengence n'appartient pas à un chascun, fors seulement aux juges et à ceulx qui ont la jurisdiction sur les malfaiteurs. (Le Ménagier de Paris, i. 214, ed. 1846.)] [2625] And yet seye I moore / that right as a singuler persone synneth / in takynge vengeance of another man; [2626] right so synneth the Iuge / if he do no vengeance of hem that it han disserued ‖ [2627] ffor Senek seith thus ‖ That maister he seith is good / þat preueth shrewes ‖ [2628] And as Cassidore seith ‖ A man dredeth to do outrages / whan he woot & knoweth / þat it displeseth / to the Iuges and the souereyns ‖ [2629] And another seith ‖ The Iuge þat dredeth to do right maketh men shrewes ‖ [2630] And Seint Poul thapostle seith in his epistle whan he writeth vn-to the Romayns / That the Iuges beren nat the spere / with-outen cause / [2631] but they beren it to punysshe the shrewes & mysdoers / & for to defende the goode men [2632] ¶ If ye wol thanne take vengeance of youre enemys; ye shul retourne / or haue youre recours to the Iuge þat hath the Iurisdiccion vp-on hem / [2633] & he shal punysshe hem / as the lawe axeth & requereth

[2634] ¶ A quod Melibe / this vengeance liketh me no thyng [2635] I bithenke me now & take hede / how fortune hath norisshed me / fro my childhode / & hath holpen me / to passe many a strong paas; [2636] Now wol I assayen hire / trowynge with goddes helpe þat she shal helpe me / my shame for to venge /

[2637] ¶ Certes quod Prudence / if ye wol werke by my conseil; ye shul nat assayen fortune / by no wey / [2638] ne ye shul nat lene / or bowe vn-to hire / after the word of Senek ‖ [2639] for thynges þat been folily doon / & þat been in hope of fortune; shullen neuere / come to good ende / [2640] And as the same Senek seith ‖ The moore cleer & the moore shynynge þat fortune is /; the moore brotil & the sonner broke she is / [2641] trusteth nat in hire / for she nys nat stedefast ne stable / [2642] for whan thow trowest to be moost seur or syker of hir helpe / she wol faile thee & deceyue thee [2643] ¶ And where as ye seyn / that fortune hath norisshed yow fro youre childhode; [2644] I seye / þat in so muchil / shul ye the lasse truste in hire & in hir wit ‖ [2645] ffor Senek seith ‖ What man þat is norisshed by fortune; she maketh hym to greet a fool / [2646] ¶ Now thanne syn ye desire / & axe vengeance / & the vengeance / þat is doon after the lawe / & bifore the Iuge / ne liketh yow nat/ [2647] & the vengeance / þat is doon in hope of fortune / is peril|ous & vncerteyn; [2648] thanne haue ye noon oother remedie / but for to haue youre recours / vn-to the souereyn Iuge / þat vengeth / alle vileynyes & wronges / [2649] and he shal venge yow / after that hym self witnesseth / where as he seith ‖ [2650] leueth the vengeance to me / and I shal do it

[2651] ¶ Melibe answerde ‖ If I ne venge me nat of the vileynye / þat men han doon to me; [2652] I. somne / or warne hem / þat han doon to me that vileynye / & alle othere / to do me another vileynye / [2653] for it is writen / If thow take no vengeance of an old vileynye; thou som|nest thyne Aduersaries / to do thee a newe vileynye ‖ [2654] And also / for my suffrance / men wolden do me so muchil vileynye / þat I myghte neither bere it ne sus|tene / [2655] and so sholde I been put & holden ouer lowe ‖ [2656] ffor men seyn / I muchil suffrynge / shul manye thynges falle vn-to thee / whiche yow shalt nat mowe suffre

[2657] ¶ Certes quod Prudence / I graunte yow / þat ouer muchil suffrance / is nat good / [2658] but yet ne folweth it nat ther of / þat euery persone / to whom men don vileynye / take of it vengeance / [2659] for that aper|teneth & longeth al oonly to the Iuges / for they shul venge the vileynyes & iniuries / [2660] and therfore / tho two auctoritees / þat ye han seyd aboue / been oonly / vnderstonden in the Iuges; [2661] for whan they suffren ouer muchil / the wronges & vileynyes to be doon with-outen punysshynge; [2662] they somne nat a man al oonly / for to do newe wronges / but they comanden it [2663] ¶ Also / a wys man seith / That the Iuge / þat cor|recteth nat the Synnere; comandeth & biddeth hym do synne ‖ [2664] And the Iuges & souereyns / myghten in hir land so muchil suffre of the shrewes & mysdoerys / [2665] þat they sholden by swich suffrance by proces of tyme / wexen of swich power & myght þat they sholden putte out the Iuges & the souereyns / from hir places / [2666] & at the laste / maken hem lese hir lordshipes

[2667] ¶ But lat vs now putte / þat ye haue leue to venge yow / [2668] I seye / ye be nat of myght & power / as now to venge yow / [2669] for if ye wol maken comparison / vn-to the myght of youre Aduersaries; ye shul fynde in manye thynges þat I haue shewid yow er this; þat hir condicion / is bettre than youres / [2670] and therfore seye I / þat it is good as now / þat ye suffre & be pacient

[2671] ¶ fforther-moore / ye knowen wel / that after the comune sawe; it is a woodnesse / a man to stryue with a strenger / or a moore myghty man / than he is hym self / [2672] & for to stryue / with a man / of euene strengthe / that is to seyn / with as strong a man as he is; it is peril / [2673] and for to stryue with a wayker man / it is folye ‖ [2674] and therfore / sholde a man fle stryuynge / as muchil as he myghte ‖ [2675] ffor Salomon seith ‖ It is a greet worshipe to a man / to kepen hym fro noyse & stryf ‖ [2676] And if it so bifalle / or happe / þat a man of gretter myght & strengthe / than thow art do thee greuance; [2677] Studie & bisie thee rather / to stille the same greuance / than for to venge thee ‖ [2678] ffor Senek seith / That he putteth hym in greet peril / þat stryueth with a gretter man / than he is hym self ‖ [2679] And Caton seith ‖ If a man / of hyer estaat or degree / or moore myghty than thow / do thee anoy / or greuance; suffre hym / [2680] for he þat ones hath greued thee / may another tyme / releue thee & helpe; [2681] ¶ Yet sette I cas / ye haue bothe myght & licence for to venge yow; [2682] I seye / þat ther be ful manye thynges / þat shul restreyne yow / of vengeance takynge / [2683] & make yow / for to enclyne to suffre & for to han pacience / in the wronges / þat han been doon to yow [2684] ¶ ffirst & foreward / If ye wol considere the defautes / þat been in youre owene persone; [2685] for whiche defautes / god hath suffred yow haue this tribulacion / as I haue seyd yow / her biforn ‖ [2686] ffor the Poete seith / That we oghten paciently taken / the tribu|lacions þat comen to vs / whan þat we thynken & consideren / þat we han disserued to haue hem ‖ [2687] And Seint Gregorie seith / That whan a man / considereth wel / the nombre of his defautes and of his synnes; [2688] the peynes & the tribulacions þat he suffreth / semen the lesse vn-to hym / [2689] And in as muche as hym thynk|eth / his synnes / moore heuy & greuous; [2690] in so muche / semeth his peyne the lighter and the esier vn; to hym [2691] ¶ Also / ye owen / to enclyne & bowe youre herte / to take the pacience / of oure lord Ihesu crist. as seith Seint Peter / in hise Epistles ‖ [2692] Ihesu crist he seith / hath suffred for vs / & yeuen ensample to euery man / to folwe & sewe hym / [2693] for he dide neuere synne / ne neuere cam ther a vileynous word / out of his mouth / [2694] Whan men cursed hym / he cursed hem noght And whan men betten hym / he manaced hem noght [2695] ¶ Also / the grete pacience / which Seintes / þat been in Paradys / han had / in tribulacions þat they han y-suffred / with-outen hir desert or gilt [2696] oghte muchil stire yow to pacience [2697] ¶ fforther moore / ye sholde enforce yow to haue pacience / [2698] considerynge / þat the tribulacions of this world / but litel while endure / & soone passed been & goon / [2699] And the ioye þat a man seketh to haue by pacience in tribulacions; is perdurable / after that the Apostle seith / in his Epistle / [2700] The ioye of god he seith / is perdurable / that is to seyn / euere lastynge [2701] ¶ Also / troweth & bileueth stedefastly / þat he nys noght wel ynorisshed ne wel ytaught þat kan nat haue pacience / or wol nat receyue pacience ‖ [2702] ffor Salomon seith ‖ That the doctrine & the wit of a man / is knowen by pacience ‖ [2703] And in another place he seith / That he þat is pacient gouerneth hym by greet prudence ‖ [2704] And the same Salomon seith ‖ The angry & wrathful man / maketh noyses / And the pacient man / attempreth hem & stilleth ‖ [2705] he seith also ‖ It is moore worth to be pacient than for to be right strong [2706] And he þat may haue the lordshipe of his owene herte; is moore to preyse / than he þat by his force / or strengthe / taketh grete Citees ‖ [2707] And ther-fore / seith Seint Iame in his Epistle / That pacience / is a greet vertu of perfeccion

[2708] ¶ Certes quod Melibe / I graunte yow / Dame Prudence / þat Pacience / is a greet vertu of perfeccion / [2709] but euery man / may nat haue the perfeccion / þat ye seken / [2710] ne I nam nat of the nombre / of right par|fite men / [2711] for myn herte / may neuere be in pees / vn-to the tyme / it be vengid ‖ [2712] And al be it so / þat it was greet peril to myne enemys / to do me a vileynye / in takynge vengeance vp-on me; [2713] yet token they noon hede of the peril / but fulfilden / hir wikked wyl & hir corage ‖ [2714] And therfore me thynketh / men oghten nat repreue me / thogh I putte me in a litel peril / for to venge me / [2715] & thogh I do a greet excesse / that is to seyn / þat I venge / oon outrage by another //

[2716] A. quod dame Prudence / ye seyn youre wil & as yow liketh ‖ [2717] But in no caas of the world / a man sholde nat do outrage ne excesse / for to vengen hym ‖ [2718] ffor Cassidore seith ‖ That as yuele / dooth he þat vengeth hym by outrage / as he / þat dooth the outrage ‖ [2719] And ther-fore / ye shul venge yow / after the ordre of right ‖ that is to seyn / by the lawe / and nat by excesse / ne by outrage ‖ [2720] And also / if ye wol venge yow / of the outrage of youre Aduersaries in oother manere than right comandeth; ye synnen ‖ [2721] And therfore seith Senek‖ That a man shal neuere venge / shrewednesse / by shrewednesse / [2722] And if ye seye / þat right axeth a man / to defende violence by violence / and fightynge by fightynge; [2723] Certes / ye seye sooth / whan the defense / is doon anon / with-outen interualle / or with-outen taryynge / or delay / [2724] for to defenden hym / & nat for to vengen hym ‖ [2725] And it bihoueth / þat a man putte swich attemperance in his defense / [2726] þat men / haue no cause / ne matere / to repreuen hym þat defendeth hym / of excesse & outrage ‖ [Car autrement ce seroit contre droit et contre Raison. (Reg. 19 C 7)] [2727] Pardee ye knowe wel / þat ye maken no defense as now / for to defende yow / but for to venge yow / [2728] and so seweth it þat ye han no wyl / to do youre dede attemprely / [2729] and therfore / me thynketh / that pacience is good ‖ ffor Salomon seith ‖ That he / þat is nat pacient shal haue greet harm /

[2730] ¶ Certes quod Melibe / .I. graunte yow / þat whan a man / is inpacient & wrooth / of that þat toucheth hym nat and þat aperteneth nat vn-to hym / thogh it harme hym / it is no wonder ‖ [2731] ffor the lawe seith / That he is coupable / þat entremetteth hym / or medleth / with swich thyng as apertenet nat vn-to hym [2732] ¶ And Salamon seith That he þat entremeteth of the noyse / or stryf / of another man; is lyk to hym / þat taketh an hound by the erys / [2733] for right as he / that taketh a straunge hound by the erys / is outher while / biten with the hound; [2734] right in the same wise is it reson / þat he haue harm þat by hys inpacience medleth hym / of the noyse / of another man / where / as it aperteneth nat vn-to hym ‖ [2735] But ye knowe wel þat this dede / that is to seyn / my grief and my desese toucheth me right ny / [2736] And therfore / thogh I be wrooth / and in|pacient it is no meruaille / [2737] and sauynge youre grace / I kan nat se / þat it myghte greetly harme me / thogh I tooke vengeance / [2738] for I am richere & moore myghty / than myne enemys been / [2739] and wel knowen ye / þat by moneye & by hauynge grete posses|sions / been alle the thynges of this world gouerned ‖ [2740] And Salomon seith ‖ That alle thynges obeyen to moneye

[2741] ¶ Whanne Prudence / hadde herd hir housbonde auanten hym / of his richesse & of his moneye; dispreis|ynge / the power of his Aduersaries; she spak & seyde in this wise ‖ [2742] Certes deere sire / I graunte yow / þat ye been / riche & myghty / [2743] & þat the richesses been goode / to hem / þat han wel ygeten hem / & þat wel konne vsen hem ‖ [2744] ffor right as the body of a man / may nat lyue with-oute the soule; namoore may it lyue / with-oute the temporel goodes / [2745] and by rich|esses / may a man gete hym grete [frendes] ‖ [2746] ¶ And therfore / seith Pamphilles ‖ If Anetherdes doghter / he seith / be riche; she may chese / of a thousand men / which she wol take to hir housbonde ‖ [2747] for of a thousand men; oon wol nat forsaken hire / ne refusen hire ‖ [2748] And this Pamphilles seith also ‖ If thow be right happy / that is to seyn / If thow be right riche; thow shalt fynde / a greet nombre of felawes & freendes / [2749] and if thy fortune chaunge / that thow wexe poore; far|wel freendshipe & felaweshipe / [2750] for thow shalt been / al allone / with-outen any compaignye / but if it be / the compaignye of poore folk [2751] ¶ And yet seith this Pamphilles moore ouer ‖ That they þat been / thralle & bonde of lynage / shuln be maad / worthy and noble by the richesses / [2752] and right so as by richesses / ther comen manye goodes; right so by pouerte / come ther manye harmes & yueles ‖ [2753] for greet pouerte / con|streyneth a man / to do manye yueles ‖ [2754] And ther|fore clepeth Cassidore / pouerte / the moder of Ruyne / [2755] that is to seyn / the moder of ouerthrowynge / or fallynge down [2756] ¶ And therfore / seiþ Piers Alfonce ‖ Oon of the gretteste Aduersitees of this world / is / [2757] whan a free man by kynde / or of burthe / is constreyned by pouerte / to eten / the almesse of his enemy ‖ [2758] And the same seith Innocent in oon of his bookes ‖ he seith / That sorweful & myshappy / is the condicion of a poore beggere / [2759] for if he axe nat his mete; he dyeth for hungir / [2760] And if he axe / he dyeth for shame / and algates necessitee constreyneþ hym to axe ‖ [2761] And therfore seith Salomon ‖ That bettre is to dye / than for to haue swich pouerte ‖ [2762] And as the same Salo|mon seith / Bettre it is / to dye of bitter deeth / than for to lyuen in swich wise [2763] ¶ By thise resons / þat I haue seyd vn-to yow / and by manye othere resons / þat I koude seye / [2764] I graunte yow / þat richesses been goode / to hem þat geten hem wel / and to hem / þat wel vsen tho richesses ‖ [2765] And ther-fore wol I shewe yow / how ye shul haue yow / and how ye shul bere yow in gaderynge of richesses / and in what manere ye shul vsen hem

[2766] ¶ ffirst ye shul geten hem / with-outen greet desir by good leiser sekyngly and nat ouer hastily; [2767] ffor a man þat is to desirynge to geten richesses / abandoneth hym first to thefte / & to alle othere yueles ‖ [2768] And therfore seith Salomon ‖ he þat hasteth hym to bisily to wexe riche / shal be noon Innocent ‖ [2769] He seith also / that the richesse / þat hastily cometh to a man; soone & lightly gooth and passeth from a man ‖ [2770] But that richesse þat cometh litel & litel / wexeth alwey & multiplieth ‖ [2771] And sire / ye shullen gete richesses by youre wit & by youre trauaille vn-to youre profit / [2772] and that with-outen wrong or harm doynge / to any oother persone ‖ [2773] ffor the lawe seith ‖ that ther maketh no man hym self riche; if he do harm / to another wight ‖ [2774] this is to seyn / that nature defendeth & forbedeth by right þat no man make hym self riche / vn-to the harm of another persone [2775] ¶ And Tullius seith / that no sorwe / ne no drede of deeth / ne no thyng þat may falle vn-to a man / [2776] is so muchel ageyns nature / as a man / to encresse his owene profit to the harm of another man; [2777] And thogh the grete men and the myghty men geten richesses. moore lightly than thow; [2778] yet shaltow nat be ydel ne slow / to do thy profit for thow shalt in alle wise / fle ydel|nesse ‖ [2779] ffor Salomon seith ‖ that ydelnesse techeth a man to do manye yueles ‖ [2780] And the same Salomon seith / that he þat trauaileth & bisieþ hym / to tilien his lond; shal ete breed / [2781] but [he] þat is ydel and casteth hym to no bisynesse ne ocupacion / shal falle in-to pouerte and dye for hunger / [2782] And he þat is ydel & slow; kan neuere fynde couenable tyme / for to do his profit ‖ [2783] ffor ther is a versifiour seith ‖ that the ydel man excuseth hym in wynter / by cause of the grete coold / and in somer / by encheson of the hete ‖ [2784] ffor thise causes seith Caton ‖ waketh / and enclineth yow nat ouer mychel / for to slepe ‖ for ouer mychel reste / norissheth and causeth manye vices ‖ [2785] And therfore / seith Seint Ierome ¶ Dooth somme goode dedes / þat the deuel / which is oure enemy / ne fynde yow nat vnocupied / [2786] for the deuel / ne takeþ nat lightly / vn-to his werk|ynge / swiche as he fyndeth ocupied in goode werkes

[2787] ¶ Thanne thus / In getynge richesses / ye mosten fle ydelnesse / [2788] and afterward ye shul vse the richesses whiche ye haue geten / by youre wit and by youre trauaille / [2789] in swich a manere / þat men holde yow nat to scars / ne to sparynge / ne to fool large / that is to seyn / ouer large a Spendere ‖ [2790] ffor right as men blamen an Auarous man / by cause of his scarsitee & chyncherie; [2791] in the same wise is he to blame / þat spendeth ouer largely / [2792] and therfore seith Catoun ‖ Vse he seith thy richesses / þat thow hast ygeten / [2793] in swich a manere / þat men haue no matere ne cause / to calle thee / neither wrecche ne chynche / [2794] for it is greet shame to a man / to haue a poore herte and a riche purs ‖ [2795] He seith also / the goodes þat thow hast ygeten / vse hem by mesure / that is to seyn / spende mesurably / [2796] for they / þat folily wasten and despenden / the goodes þat they han; [2797] whan they han namoore propre of hir owene; they shapen hem / to take the goodes of another man ‖ [2798] I seye thanne / that ye shal fle Auarice / [2799] vsynge youre richesses in swich manere / þat men seye nat/ þat youre richesses been ybiryed / [2800] but þat ye haue hem in youre myght and in youre weldynge ‖ [2801] ffor a wys man / repreueth the Auaricious man & seith thus / in two vers ‖ [2802] Wher-to and why / biryeth a man his goodes by his grete Auarice / and knoweth wel / þat nedes moste he dye; [2803] for deeth / is the ende of euery man / as in this present lyf / [2804] And for what cause / or encheson ioyneth he hym / or knytteth he hym / so faste vn-to his goodes / [2805] þat alle hise wittes / mowen nat disseueren hym / or departen hym fro hise goodes / [2806] and knoweth wel / or oghte knowe / þat whan he is deed / he shal no thyng bere with hym out of this world ‖ [2807] And ther-fore / seith Seint Austyn ‖ That the Auaricious man / is likned vn-to helle / [2808] þat the moore it swolweth / the moore desir it hath to swolwe & deuoure / [2809] And as wel / as ye wolde eschewe to be called an Auaricious man or chynche; [2810] as wel sholde ye kepe yow & gouerne yow in swich a wise / þat men calle yow nat fool large ‖ [2811] Ther-fore seith Tullius ‖ The goodes he seith of thyn hous / sholde nat been hidde ne kept so cloos; but þat they myghte been opned by pitee & debonairetee / [2812] that is to seyn; to yeue hem part þat han greet nede / [2813] ne thy goodes sholden nat be so open / to be euery mannes goodes [2814] ¶ Afterward / in getyng of youre richesses / and in vsynge hem; ye shul alwey / haue thre thynges in youre herte ‖ [2815] that is to seyn / oure lord god / Conscience / and good name [2816] ¶ ffirst ye shul haue god in youre herte / [2817] and for no richesse / ye shullen do no thyng which may in any manere displese god / that is youre Creatour & makere ‖ [2818] ffor after the word of Salomon / It is bettre to haue a litel good / with the loue of god /; [2819] than to haue mychel good & tresor / and lese the loue of his lord god ‖ [2820] And the prophete seith; That bettre it is to been a good man / & haue a litel good / and tresor /; [2821] than to be holden a shrewe / & haue grete richesses ‖ [2822] And yet seye I ferther moore / that ye sholden alwey doon youre bisynesse / to gete yow richesses / [2823] so þat ye gete hem / with good conscience ‖ [2824] And thapostle seith / that ther nys thyng in this world / of which / we sholden haue so greet ioye / as whan oure conscience / bereth vs good witnesse ‖ [2825] And the wise man seith ‖ The substance of a man / is ful good / whan synne is nat in mannes conscience [2826] ¶ Afterward / in getynge of youre richesses / & in vsynge of hem; [2827] yow moste haue greet bisynesse & greet diligence / þat youre goode name / be alwey kept & conserued ‖ [2828] ffor Salo|mon seith ‖ that bettre it is & moore it auaileth a man / to haue good name / than for to haue grete richesses / [2829] And therfore / he seith in another place ‖ do greet diligence seith Salomon in kepynge of thy freend / and of thy goode name / [2830] for it shal lenger abyde with thee / than any tresor / be it neuer so precious ‖ [2831] And certes / he sholde nat be called a gentil man / that after god & good conscience / alle thynges left ne dooth his diligence & bisynesse / to kepen his goode name ‖ [2832] And Cassidore seith / that it is signe of a gentil herte / whan a man / loueth & desireth / to haue a good name ‖ [2833] And therfore seith seint Austyn ‖ that ther been two thynges / þat arn necessarie & nedefulle / [2834] and that is good conscience / & good loos ‖ [2835] that is to seyn / good conscience / to thyn owene persone inward / and good loos for thy neighebore outward ‖ [2836] And he / þat trusteth hym so muchil in his goode conscience / [2837] þat he displeseth / and setteth at noght his goode name or loos / and rekketh noght thogh he kepe nat hys goode name; nys but a cruwel cherl

[2838] ¶ Sire / now haue I shewed yow / how ye shul do / in getynge richesses / & how ye shullen vsen hem / [2839] And I se wel / þat for the trust þat ye han in youre richesses / ye wol moeue werre & bataille /· [2840] I conseile yow / þat ye bigynne no werre / in trust of youre richesses for they ne suffisen noght werres to mayn|tene / [2841] And therfore seith a Philosophre / That man þat desireth / and wole algates han werre; shal neuere haue suffisance / [2842] for the richer þat he is; the gretter despenses moste he make / if he wol haue wor|shipe & victorie ‖ [2843] And Salomon seith / That the gretter richesses þat a man hath / the mo despendours he hath ‖ [2844] And deere sire / al be it so / þat for youre richesses / ye mowe haue muchel folk; [2845] yet bihoueth it nat ne it is nat good / to bigynne werre / where as ye mowe / in oother manere haue pees vn-to youre worshipe & profit ‖ [2846] for the victorie of batailles þat been in this world / lyth nat in greet nombre / or multitude of peple / ne in the vertu of man / [2847] but it lyth in the wyl / & in the hand / of oure lord god almyghty / [2848] and ther-fore Iudas Machabeus / which was goddes knyght [2849] whan he sholde fighte ageyn his Aduersarie / þat hadde a gretter nombre & a gretter mul|titude of folk/ and strenger than was the peple/ of this Macha|be; [2850] yet he reconforted his litel compaignye / and seyde / right in this wise ‖ [2851] Als lightly quod he / may oure lord god almyghty / yeue victorie to fewe folk as to manye folk/ [2852] for the victorie of a bataile cometh nat by the grete nombre of peple / [2853] but it come / fro oure lord god of heuene ‖ [2854] And deere sire / for as muchel as ther is no man certeyn / if it be worthy / þat god yeue hym victorie / [ne plus quil scet se il est dines de lamour de dieu ()] or naght after that Salomon seith; [2855] therfore euery man / sholde greetly drede / werres to bigynne ‖ [2856] And by cause þat in batailles / fallen manye perils / [2857] & happeth outher while / þat as soone is the grete man slayn / as the litel man / [2858] And as it is ywriten / in the seconde book of kynges ‖ The dedes of batailles / been Auenturouse & no thyng certeyne / [2859] for as lightly / is oon hurt with a spere / as another [2860] ¶ And for ther is greet peril in werre; therfore sholde a man / fle & eschewe werre / in as muchel / as a man may goodly ‖ [2861] ffor Salomon seith / he þat loueth peril / shal falle in peril

[2862] ¶ After þat dame Prudence / hadde spoken in this manere / Melibe answerde & seyde [2863] ¶ I se wel dame Prudence that by youre faire wordes & by youre resons / þat ye han shewed me; þat the werre / liketh yow no thyng [2864] but I haue nat yet herd youre con|seil / how I shal do in this nede

[2865] ¶ Certes quod she / I conseile yow / þat ye acorde with youre Aduersaries / & þat ye / haue pees with hem ‖ [2866] ffor Seint Iame seith / in hise epistles / That by concord & pees / the smale richesses / wexen grete / [2867] & by debaat and discord / the grete richesses fallen doun / [2868] And ye knowen wel / þat oon of the gretteste & moost souereyn thyng þat is in this world / is vnitee & pees / [2869] And therfore seyde oure lord Ihesu crist to hise Apostles / in this wise ‖ [2870] Wel happy & blessed been they / þat louen / & purchacen pees / for they been called children of god [2871] ¶ A quod Melibe now se I wel / þat ye louen nat myn honur ne my worshipe ‖ [2872] Ye knowen wel / þat myne Aduersaries han bigonnen this debaat and brige by hire outrage / [2873] & ye se wel / þat they ne requeren ne preyen me nat of pees / ne they asken nat to be reconsiled; [2874] wol ye thanne / þat I go meke me & obeye me to hem & crye hem mercy; [2875] for sothe / that were nat my worshipe ‖ [2876] ffor right as men seyn / þat ouer greet homlynesse / engendreth despisynge; so fareth it by to greet humylitee / or mekenesse /

[2877] ¶ Thanne bigan dame Prudence / to maken sem|blant of wrathe & seyde ‖ [2878] Certes sire / sauf youre grace / I loue youre honur & youre profit/ as I do myn owene / & euere haue doon / [2879] ne ye / ne noon oother / syen neuere the contrarie ‖ [2880] And yet if I hadde seyd / þat ye sholde han purchaced the pees & the reconsiliacion; I ne hadde nat muchel mystake me / ne seyd amys ‖ [2881] ffor the wise man seith ‖ The dis|sension / bigynneth by another man / & the reconsilyng bigynneth by thy self ‖ [2882] And the prophete seiþ / fflee shrewednesse / & do goodnesse / [2883] seke pees & folwe it as muchel as in thee is ‖ [2884] yet seye I nat þat ye shul rather pursue to youre Aduersaries for pees / than they shuln to yow; / [2885] for .I. knowe wel / þat ye been so hard herted / þat ye wol do / no thyng for me ‖ [2886] And Salomon seith / That he þat hath ouer hard an herte / atte laste / he shal myshappe & mystyde

[2887] ¶ Whanne Melibe hadde herd dame Prudence / make semblant of wrathe / he seyde in this wise ‖ [2888] Dame / I pray yow / þat ye be nat displesed / of thynges þat I seye / [2889] for ye knowe wel / þat I am angry & wrooth / & that is no wonder / [2890] and they þat been wrothe / witen nat wel what they doon / ne what they seyn ‖ [2891] Therfore / the prophete seith / That troubled eyen / han no cleer sighte / [2892] but seieth & conseileth me / as yow liketh / for I am redy / to do / right as ye wol desire / [2893] & if ye repreue me of my folie; I am the moore holden to loue yow / & to preise yow ‖ [2894] ffor Salomon seith ‖ That he þat repreueth hym þat dooth folie; [2895] he shal fynde gretter grace / than he þat deceyueth hym by swete wordes

[2896] ¶ Thanne seyde dame Prudence / I make no semblant of wrathe ne of angir / but for youre grete profit ‖ [2897] ffor Salomon seith ‖ he is moore worth / þat re|preueth / or chideth a fool / for his folie / shewynge hym semblant of wrathe; [2898] than he þat supporteth hym & preiseth hym / in his mysdoynge / & laugheth at his folie ‖ [2899] And this same Salomon seith afterward ‖ That by the sorweful visage of a man / that is to seyn / by the sory & heuy contenance of a man; [2900] the fool correcteþ & amendeth hym self

[2901] ¶ Thanne seyde Melibe / I shal nat konne an|swere / vn-to so manye resons / as ye putten to me & shewen / [2902] seieth shortly / youre wil & youre con|seil / & I am al redy / to fulfille & perfourne it

[2903] ¶ Thanne / dame Prudence / discouered al hir wyl vn-to hym / & seyde ‖ [2904] I conseile yow quod she / abouen alle thynges / þat ye make pees bitwene god & yow / [2905] & beth reconsiled vn-to hym & to his grace / [2906] for as I haue seyd yow heer biforn; god hath suffred yow / to haue this tribulacion & disese / for youre synnes / [2907] and if ye do / as I seye yow / god wol sende youre Aduersaries vn-to yow / [2908] & maken hem falle at youre feet redy to do youre wyl & youre com|andementz ‖ [2909] ffor Salomon seith / whan the con|dicion of man / is plesant & likynge to god; [2910] he changeth the hertes of the mannes Aduersaries / & con|streyneth hem / to biseken hym of pees & of grace / [2911] and I pray yow / lat me speken with youre Aduer|saries / in pryuee place / [2912] for they shal nat knowe / þat it be of youre wyl / or youre assent. [2913] and thanne / whan I knowe hir wyl & hir entente; I may conseille yow / the moore seurly

[2914] ¶ Dame quod Melibe / dooth youre wyl / & youre likynge / [2915] for I putte me hoolly / in youre disposicion & ordinance

[2916] ¶ Thanne dame Prudence / whan she say the goode wyl of hir housbonde; she delyueride / & took auys in hir self / [2917] thynkynge / how she myghte brynge this nede / vn-to a good conclusion & to a good ende; [2918] And whan she saugh hir tyme / she sente for thise Aduersaries to come vn-to hire / in to a priuee place / [2919] & shewed wysly vn-to hem / the grete goodes / þat comen of pees / [2920] & the grete harmes & perils / þat been in werre / [2921] & seyde to hem / in a goodly manere; / how þat hem oghten haue greet re|pentance / [2922] of the Iniurie & wrong þat they hadden doon / to Melibe hir lord / & vn-to hire / & to hir doghter //

[2923] And whan they herden / the goodliche wordes / of dame Prudence; [2924] they weren so supprised & rauysshed / & hadden so greet ioye of hire / þat wonder was to telle ‖ [2925] A lady quod they / ye han shewid vn-to us / the blessynge of swetnesse / after the sawe of Dauid the prophete ‖ [2926] ffor the reconsilynge / which we ne been nat worthy to haue in no manere / [2927] but we oghten requeren it with greet contricion & humylitee; [2928] ye of youre grete goodnesse / haue presented vn-to vs ‖ [2929] Now se we wel / þat the science / & the konnynge of Salomon / is ful trewe / [2930] for he seith / That swete wordes / multiplien & encressen freendes / & maken shrewes / to be debonaire & meke

[2931] Certes quod they / we putten oure dede & al oure matere / & cause / al hoolly / in youre goode wyl / [2932] & been redy to obeye vn-to the speche & comande|ment of my lord Melibe ‖ [2933] And therfore deere & benygne lady / we preyen yow / & biseken yow / as mekely / as we konne & mowen / [2934] þat it like / vn-to youre grete goodnesse / to ful-fille in dede / youre good|liche wordes / [2935] for we consideren & knowelichen / þat we han offendid & greued / my lord Melibe / out of mesure / [2936] so ferforth / þat we been nat of power / to maken his amendes ‖ [2937] & ther-fore / we oblige & bynde vs & oure freendes / for to do al his wyl & his comandementz ‖ [2938] but perauenture / he hath swich heuynesse & swich wrathe to vsward / by cause of oure offense / [2939] þat he wole enioyne vs / swich peyne / as we mowe nat bere / ne sustene ‖ [2940] And ther-fore noble lady / we biseken to youre wommanly pitee / [2941] to taken swich auisement in this nede / þat we ne oure freendes / be nat desherited & destroyed / thurgh oure folie

[2942] ¶ Certes quod Prudence / it is an hard thyng & right perilous / [2943] þat a man putte hym al outrely in the arbitracion & Iuggement/ and in the myght & power of hise enemys ‖ [2944] ffor Salomon seith; leeueth me / & yeueth credence / to that þat I shal seyn ¶ I seye quod he / ye peple / & gouernours / & gouernours of holy chirche / [2945] to thy sone / to thy wyf / to thy freend / ne to thy brother / [2946] ne yeue thow neuere myght ne maistrie of thy body / whil yow lyuest ‖ [2947] Now / sithen he defendeth / þat man sholde nat yeue to his brother / ne to his freend / the myght of his body; [2948] by a strenger reson / he defendeth & forbedeth a man / to yeue hym self to his enemy / [2949] And nathe|lees I conseille yow / þat ye mystruste nat my lord / [2950] for I woot wel & knowe verraily / þat he is debonaire & meke / large / curteys / [2951] & no thyng desirous / ne coueitous / of good / ne richesse / [2952] for ther nys no thyng in this world þat he desireth / saue oonly / worshipe & honour [2953] ¶ fforther moore I knowe wel & am right seur / þat he shal no thyng do in this nede / with-outen my conseil / [2954] and I shal so werken in this cause / þat by the grace of oure lord god / ye shul be reconsiled vn-to vs

[2955] ¶ Thanne seyden they with o voys ‖ Worshipful lady / we putten vs & oure goodes al fully / in youre wyl & disposicion / [2956] & been redy to come / what day þat it like vn-to youre noblesse / to lymyte vs / or assigne vs / [2957] for to maken / oure obligacion & boond / as strong as it liketh vn-to youre goodnesse / [2958] þat we mowe fulfille / the wyl of yow / & of my lord Melibe

[2959] ¶ Whanne Dame Prudence / hadde herd the an|sweres of thise men; she bad hem go agayn priuely / [2960] & she retourned / to hir lord Melibe / & tolde hym / how she fand hise Aduersaries ful repentant [2961] knowelichynge ful lowely / hir synnes & trespas / & how they weren redy / to suffren al peyne / [2962] requerynge & prayynge hym / of mercy & pitee

[2963] ¶ Thanne seyde Melibe ‖ he is wel worthy / to haue pardon & foryifnesse of his synne / þat excuseth nat his synne / [2964] but knowelicheth & repenteth hym / axinge Indulgence ‖ [2965] ffor Senek seith ‖ There is the remission & foryifnesse / where as the confession is / [2966] for confession / is neighebore to Innocence ‖ [2967] And he seith / in another place[a blank in the MS. . .] that hath shame of his synne & knowelicheth it ‖ And ther-fore / I assente & conferme me to haue pees; [2968] but it is good / þat we do it nat with-outen thassent & wil of oure freendes

[2969] ¶ Thanne was Prudence / right glad & ioyeful / & seyde ‖ [2970] Certes sire quod she / ye han wel & goodly answerd / [2971] for right as by the conseil / assent/ & help / of youre frendes / ye han ben stired / to venge yow / & make werre; [2972] right so / with|outen hire conseil / shul ye nat acorde yow / ne haue pees with youre Aduersaries ‖ [2973] ffor the lawe seith ‖ Ther nys no thyng so good / by wey of kynde / as a thyng to been vnbounde / by hym þat it was ybounde ‖

[2974] And thanne Dame Prudence / with-outen delay / or taryynge / sente anon messages / for hir kyn / & for hire olde freendes / whiche þat were trewe & wise / [2975] and tolde hem by ordre / in the presence of Melibe / al this matere / as it is aboue expressed & declared / [2976] & preyde hem / þat they wolde yeuen hire auys & con|seil / what best were to do / in this nede ‖ [2977] And whan Melibees freendes / hadde taken hire auys & deliber|acion of the forseyde matere / [2978] & hadden examyned it by greet bisynesse & greet diligence; [2979] they yaue ful conseil / for to haue pees & reste / [2980] & þat Melibe / sholde receyue with good herte / hise Aduersaries / to foryifnesse & mercy ‖

[2981] And whanne Dame Prudence / hadde herd the assent of hir lord Melibe / & the conseil of his freendes / [2982] acorde with hire wyl and hire entencion; [2983] she was wonderly glad in herte / & seyde ‖ [2984] Ther is an old prouerbe quod she / seith ‖ that the goodnesse þat thow maist do this day / do it [2985] & abide nat ne delye it nat til tomorwe / [2986] And therfore I conseille / þat ye sende youre messages / swiche as been discrete & wise [2987] vn-to youre Aduersaries / tellynge hem on youre bihalue / [2988] þat if they wol trete of pees & of acord / [2989] þat they shape hem / with-outen delay or taryynge / to come vn-to vs / [2990] which thyng parfourned was in dede / [2991] and whanne thise trespassours & repentynge folk of hir folies / that is to seyn / the Aduersaries of Melibe / [2992] hadden herd / what thise messagers seyden vn-to hem; [2993] they weren right glad & ioyeful / & answereden ful mekely & benygnely / [2994] yeldynge graces & thankynges / to hire lord Melibe & to al his compaignye / [2995] & shopen hem with-oute delay to go with the messagers / & obeye to the comandement of hire lord Melibe /

[2996] And right anon they tooken hire wey / to the court of Melibe / [2997] & tooke with hem somme of hir trewe freendes / to make feith for hem / & for to been hire borwes ‖ [2998] And whan they were come / to the presence of Melibe; he seyde hem thise wordes [2999] ¶ It standeth thus quod Melibe & sooth it is / þat ye [3000] causelees & with-outen skile & reson / [3001] han doon grete Iniuries & wronges to me / & to my wyf Prudence / & to my doghter also / [3002] for ye han entred in-to myn hous by violence / [3003] & haue doon swich outrage / þat alle men knowen wel / þat ye han deserued the deeth ‖ [3004] And therfore wol I knowe & wite of yow / [3005] wheither ye wol putte the punysshynge & chastisynge / & the vengeance of this outrage / in the wil of me / & of my wyf or ye wol nat

[3006] ¶ Thanne the wiseste of hem thre / answerde for hem alle / & seyde ‖ [3007] Sire quod he / we knowen wel / þat we been vnworthy / to comen vn-to the court of so greet a lord & so worthy / as ye been / [3008] for we han so gretly mystaken vs / & han offendid & gilt in swich a wise / ageyn youre hey lordshipe / [3009] þat trewely / we han deserued the deeth / [3010] but yet for the grete goodnesse & debonairetee / þat al the world / witnesseth of youre persone /; [3011] we submitten vs / to the excellence & benygnytee of youre gracious lordshipe / [3012] & ben redy tobeye / to alle youre comandementz / [3013] bisekynge yow / þat of youre merciable pitee / ye wol considere oure grete repentance & lowe submission / [3014] & graunten vs foryeuenesse / of oure outrageous trespas & offense / [3015] for wel we knowen / þat youre liberal grace & mercy / strecchen ferther / in-to good|nesse / than doon oure outrageouse giltes & trespas in-to wikkednesse / [3016] al be it þat cursedly & damp|nablely / we han agilt ageyn youre hey lordshipe

[3017] ¶ Thanne Melibe / took hem vp fro the ground ful benygnely / [3018] & receyued hir obligacions & hir bondes by hir othes / vp-on hir plegges & borwes / [3019] & assigned hem a certeyn day / to retourne vn-to his court [3020] for to accepte & receyue / the sentence & Iugement þat Melibe wolde comande / to be doon on hem / by the causes aforeseyd ‖ [3021] whiche thynges ordeyned; euery man retourned to his hous ‖

[3022] And whanne þat dame Prudence saugh hir tyme / she f[r]eyned / & axed hir lord Melibe / [3023] what vengeance he thoghte to taken of hise Aduersaries;

[3024] ¶ To which / Melibe answerde & seyde ‖ Certes quod he .I. thynke & purpose me fully / [3025] to dis|herite hem / of al þat euere they han / and for to putte hem in exil / for euere

[3026] ¶ Certes quod Dame Prudence / this were a cruel sentence / & muchel ageyn reson / [3027] for ye been riche ynow & han no nede of oother mennes good / [3028] & ye myghten lightly in this wise / geten yow a coueitous name / [3029] which is a vicious thyng & oghte been eschewid of euery man / [3030] for after the sawe of the word of thapostle ‖ Coueitise / is roote of alle harmes / [3031] And therfore / it were bettre for yow / to lese so mychel good of youre owene / than for to take of hire good / in this manere / [3032] for bettre it is / to lese good with wor|shipe / than it is / to wynne good with vileynye & shame / [3033] And euery man / oghte do his diligence & his bisy|nesse / to geten hym a good name / [3034] and yet shal he nat oonly bisien hym in kepynge his goode name; [3035] but he shal also / enforcen hym alwey / to do som thyng by which he may renouelle his goode name ‖ [3036] ffor it is writen / That the olde goode loos / or good name of a man / is soone goon & passed / whanne it is nat newed / ne re|noueled ‖ [3037] & as touchynge þat ye seyn / ye wol exile youre Aduersaries; [3038] that thynketh me / muchel agayn reson / & out of mesure / [3039] con|sidered the power / þat they han yeuen yow vp-on hem self ‖ [3040] And it is writen / that he is worthy to lesen his priuilege / þat mysvseth / the mygh[t] & the power þat is yeuen him / [3041] And I sette cas / ye myghte enioyne hem that peyne / by right & by lawe / [3042] which I trowe ye mowe nat do / [3043] I seye / ye myghte nat putte it to execucion per auenture / [3044] & thanne were it likly / to retorne to the werre / as it was biforn / [3045] And ther-fore / if ye wole / þat men do yow obeis|ance; yow moste deme moore curteisly / [3046] this is to seyn / ye moste yeue / moore esy sentences & Iugementz ‖ [3047] ffor it is writen / that he / þat moost curteisly commandeth / to hym / men moste obeyen / [3048] & ther|fore .I. pray yow / þat in this necessitee / & in this nede / ye caste yow to ouercome youre herte ‖ [3049] ffor Senek seith ‖ that he þat ouercomeþ his herte; ouercomeþ twies ‖ [3050] And Tullius seith ‖ ther is no thyng so commendable in a greet lord / [3051] as whan he is debon|aire & meke / & apeiseth hym lightly ‖ [3052] And I pray yow / þat ye wol forbere now to do vengeance [3053] in swich a manere / þat youre good name / may be kept & conserued / [3054] & þat men mowe / haue cause & matere / to preise yow / of pitee & of mercy / [3055] & þat ye haue no cause / to repente yow of thyng þat ye doon ‖ [3056] ffor Senek seith ‖ He ouercometh / in an yuel manere þat repenteth hym / of his victorie ‖ [3057] Wher|fore / I prey yow / lat mercy be in youre herte / [3058] to theffect & entente / þat god almyghty haue merci on yow in his laste Iugement ‖ [3059] ffor Seint Iame seith / in his epistle ‖ Iugement with|oute mercy / shal be doon to hym / þat hath no mercy / of another wight

[3060] ¶ Whanne Melibe hadde herd / the grete skiles & resons of dame Prudence / & hir wise Informacions & techynges / [3061] his herte gan enclyne to the wyl of his wyf/ considerynge hir trewe entente / [3062] con|formed hym anon & assented fully / to werken after hir conseil / [3063] & thonked god / of whom procedeth al vertu / & al goodnesse / þat hym sente a wyf of so greet discrecion ‖ [3064] And whanne the day cam / þat hise Ad|uersaries / sholde appieren / in his presence; [3065] he spak to hem ful goodly / & seyde in this wise ‖ [3066] Al be it so / þat of youre pride & by presumpcion & folie / & of youre necligence & vnkonnynge / [3067] ye haue mysborn yow / & trespased vn-to me; [3068] yet for as muchel / as I se & biholde youre grete humylitee / [3069] & þat ye been sory & repentant of youre giltes; [3070] it constreyneth me / to do yow grace & mercy / [3071] Wherfore I receyue yow to my grace / [3072] & foryeue yow outrely alle the offenses / Iniuries & wronges / þat ye haue doon / ageyns me & myne / [3073] to this effect & to this ende / þat god/ of his endelees mercy / [3074] wole atte tyme of oure dyynge / foryeuen vs oure giltes þat we han trespassed to hym / in this wrecched world / [3075] for doutelees / if we be sory & repentant of the synnes & giltes / whiche we han trespased / in the sighte of oure lord god; [3076] he is so free & so merci|able [3077] þat he wole foryeuen vs oure giltes / [3078] & bryngen vs to the blisse / that neuere hath ende.

¶ Here is endid / Chaucers tale / of Melibe. GROUP I. FRAGMENT X. § 1. THE BLANK-PARSON LINK.

[This is really a link between some unwritten Tale and the Parson's. It has been made into the Manciple-Parson Link (or Yeoman-Parson by the Christ-Church MS) by Chaucer's copiers, though not meant for it.]

 ¶ The Prologe / of the Persons tale /. HENGWRT MS. BY that the 1Manciple1[1_1 over an erasure] hadde his tale al ended The Sonne / fro the South lyne is descended So lowe / that he nas nat to my sighte Degrees .29. as of highte Ten of the Clokke / it was / so as I gesse ffor .xj. foot and litel moore / or lesse My shadwe was / at thilke tyme as there Of swich feet/ as my lengthe parted weere In .6. feet equal / of proporcion Ther with / the Mones exaltacion I mene Libra / alwey gan ascende As we were entryng at a Thropes ende ffor which oure hoost as he was wont to gye As in this cas / oure Ioly compaignye Seyde in this wise / lordynges euerichon Now lakketh vs / no tales / mo than oon ffulfild is my Sentence / and my decree I trowe / þat we han herd of ech degree Almoost fulfild is al myn ordinaunce I pray to god / so yeue hym right good chaunce That telleth this tale / to vs lustily Sire preest quod he / artow a Vicary Or arte a person / sey sooth by thy fey Be what thow be / ne breke thow nat oure pley ffor euery man saue thow / hath toold his tale Vnbokele / and shewe vs / what is in thy Male ffor trewely / me thynketh by thy cheere Thow sholdest/ knette vp wel a greet matere Telle vs a fable anon / for Cokkes bones ¶ This person / answerde al atones Thow getest fable noon / ytoold for me ffor Poul / that writeth vn to Thymothe Repreueth hem / þat weyuen Soothfastnesse And tellen fables / and swich wrecchednesse Why sholde I sowen draf/ out of my fest Whan I may sowen whete / if þat me lest ffor which I seye / þat if yow list to heere Moralitee / and vertuous matere And thanne / þat ye wol yeue me Audience I wole ful fayn / at Cristes reuerence Do yow plesance / leueful / as I kan But trusteth wel / I am a Southren man I kan nat geste / rom / ram / ruf / by lettre Ne god woot/ rym holde I but litel bettre And ther fore if yow lest/ I wol nat glose I wol yow telle / a myrie tale in prose To knytte vp al this feste / and make an ende And Ihesu for his grace / wit me sende To shewe yow the wey / in this viage Of thilke parfit glorious pilgrymage That highte Ierusalem celestial And if ye vouche sauf/ anon I shal Bigynne vp on my tale / for which I preye Telle youre auys / I kan no bettre seye But nathelees / this meditacion I putte it ay / vnder correccion Of clerkes / for I am nat textuel I take but the sentence / trusteth wel Ther fore / I make protestacion That I wol stonde / to correccion ¶ Vp on this word / we han assented soone ffor as it semed / it was for to doone To enden / in som vertuous sentence And for to yeue hym / space and audience And bede oure hoost he sholde to hym seye That alle we / to telle his tale hym preye ¶ Oure hoost hadde the wordes for vs alle Sire preest quod he / now faire yow bifalle Sey what yow list and we wol gladly heere And with that word / he seyde in this manere Telleth quod he / youre meditacion But hasteth yow / the sonne wole adoun Beth fructuous / and that in litel space And to do wel / god sende yow his grace¶ Explicit prohemium.

¶ Here bigynneth / the Persons tale.

[Hengwrt MS, leaf 236.]

[There are no paragraph-breaks in the MS, but Tyrwhitt's are kept in the print for convenience sake. The sidenotes are all in a later hand.]

Ieremie. 6o. ‖ State super vias / & videte & interrogate de semitis antiquis / que sit via bona / & ambulate in ea / & inuenietis refrigerium animabus vestris, &c

[75] Ovre swete lord / god of heuene / that no man wole perisse / but wole þat we comen alle to the knoweliche of hym / and to the blisful lyf / þat is perdurable / [76] amonesteth vs / by the prophete Ieromie / that seith in this wise [77] Stondeth vp on the weyes / and seeth / and axeth of olde pathes / that is to seyn / of olde sentences / which is the goode wey / [78] and walketh in that wey / and ye shal fynde refresshynge for youre soules &c [79] ¶ Manye been / the weyes espirituels / that leden folk / to oure lord Ihu crist and to the regne of glorie / [80] of whiche weyes / ther is a ful noble wey and a ful couenable / which may nat faile / to man ne to womman / þat thurgh synne hath mysgoon / fro the righte wey of Ierusalem celestial / [81] and this wey / is clepid Penitence / of which / men sholde gladly herknen and enquere with al his herte / [82] to wite / what is peni|tence / and whennes / it is clepid penitence / and in how manye maneres / been the accions / or werkynges of penitence/ [83] and how manye spices / ther ben of penitences / and whiche thynges / apertenen & bihouen to penitence / whiche thynges / destourben penitence.

[84] ¶ Seint Ambrose seith ‖ that penitence / is the pleynynge of man / for the gilt þat he hath doon / and na|moore to doon any thyng for which hym oghte to pleyne [85] ¶ And som doctour seith ‖ Penitence / is þe wayment|ynge of man / þat sorweth for his synne / and pyneth hym self / for he hath mysdoon ‖ [86] Penitence / with certeyne circumstances / is verray repentance of a man / þat halt hym self in sorwe / & oother peyne for hise giltes / [87] and for he shal be verray penitent he shal first biwailen / the synnes / þat he hath doon / and stedefastly purposen in his herte / to haue shrift of mouthe / and to doon satisfaccion / [88] and neuere to doon thyng for which hym oghte moore to biwaile / or to compleyne / and to con|tinue in goode werkes / or ellis / his repentance may nat auayle [89] ffor as seith Seint Isydre ‖ He is a Iapere / and a gabbere / and no verray repentant þat eft soone dooth thyng for which hym oghte repente ‖ [90] Wepynge / and nat for to stynte to do synne / may nat auaile ‖ [91] But nathelees men shal hope / þat at euery tyme þat man falleth / be it neuer so ofte / þat he may arise þurgh peni|tence / if he haue grace / but certeynly / it is greet dowte / [92] for as seith Seint Gregorie ‖ Vnnethevix ariseth he out of his synne / that is charged / with the charge of yuel vsage / [93] and ther fore / repentant folk/ þat stynte for to synne / & forlete synne / er þat synne forlete hem / holy chirche / halt hem siker of hire sauacion / [94] and he þat synneth / & verraily repenteth hym in his laste / holy chirche / yet hopeth his sauacion by the grete mercy of oure lord Ihu crist for his repentance / but taak the sikertene weycertum /

[95] And now / sith þat I haue declared yow / what thyng is penitence / now shul ye vnderstonde / þat ther been .iij. acciouns of penitence / [96] ¶ The firste[iij. A]cciouns of penitence: is / þat if a man be baptised / after þat he hath synned ‖ [97] Seint Augustyn seith / but he be penitent / for his olde synful lyf / he may nat bigynne / the newe clene lyf / [98] for certes / if he be baptised with oute penitence of his olde gilt / he receyueth the mark of baptesme / but nat the grace / ne the remission of hise synnes / til he haue repentance verray [99] ¶ Another defaute is this / that men doon deedly synne / after þat they han receyued baptesme / [100] ¶ The thridde defaute is ‖ that men fallen in venyal Synnes after hire baptesme / fro day to day ‖ [101] ther of seith seint Augustyn ‖ That penitence / of goode and of humble folk. is the penitence of euery day.

[102] ¶ The specesspecies of penance / been .iij. ‖ that oon[iij. Sp]eces of penaunce: of hem / is solempne ‖ Another is commune ‖ and the thridde is priuee [103] ¶ Thilke penance þat is so|lempne / is in two maneres / as to be put out of holy chirche in lente / for slaughtre of children / and swich manere thyng [104] ¶ Another is / whan man hath synned openly / of which synne / the fame is openly spoken in the contree / and thanne holy chirche / by Iuge|ment destreyneth hym / for to doon open penance ‖ [105] Commune penance is / that preestes enioynen men communly / in certeyn cas / as for to goon perauenture naked in pilgrymage / or barefoot [106] ¶ Pryuee penance / is thilke þat men doon al day for priuee synnes / of whiche / we shryue vs pryuely and receyue pryuee penance

[107] ¶ Now shaltow vnderstande / what bihoueth[What] bihoueth to penitence and is necessarie to verray perfit penitence / and this stant/ on .iij. thynges ‖ [108] Contricion of herte ‖ Con|fession of Mouth / and Satisfaccion ‖ [109] for which / seith seint Iohn Crisostomus ¶ Penitence destreyneth man / to accepte benygnely euery peyne / þat hym is enioyned / with contricion of herte / & shrift of Mowthe / with satis|faccion / and in wirkynge of alle manere humylitee / [110] And this is fruytful penitence agayn .iij. thynges / in whiche we wrathe oure lord Ihu crist ‖ [111] this is to seyn / by delit in thynkynge / by recchelesnesse in spekynge / by wikked synful wirkynge / [112] And agayns thise / wikkede giltes is penitence / that may be likned vn to a tree /

[113] ¶ The roote of this tree is contricion / þat hideth hym in the herte of hym / þat is verray repentant right as the roote of a tree hideth hym in the erthe ‖ [114] Of the roote of Contricion spryngeth a stalke þat bereth branches / and leues of confession / and fruyt of satisfaccion ‖ [115] for which / crist seith in his gospel ‖ Dooth digne fruyt of penitence / for by this fruyt may men knowe this tree / and nat by the roote / that is hyd / in the herte of man / ne by the branches / ne the leues of Confession ‖ [116] And therfore / oure lord Ihu crist seith thus ‖ by the fruyt of hem / shul ye knowe hem ‖ [117] Of this roote eek spryngeth a seed of grace / the which Seed / is moder of Sikernesse / and this Seed / is egre and hoot ‖ [118] the grace of thys Seed / spryngeth of god thurgh re|membrance on the day of dome / & on the peynes of helle ‖ [119] Of this matere / seith Salomon ‖ that in the drede of god / man forleteth his synne ‖ [120] the hete of thys seed / is the loue of god / & the desirynge of the Ioye perdurable / [121] this hete / draweth the herte of man to god & dooth hym hate his synne / [122] for soothly / ther is no thyng þat sauoureth so wel to a child / as the mylk of his norice / ne no thyng is to hym moore ab|homynable / than thilke mylk/ whan it is medled with oother mete ‖ [123] right so the synful man / þat loueth his synne / hym semeth / it is to hym moost swete of any thyng ‖ [124] but fro þat tyme / þat he loueth sadly oure lord Ihu crist/ & desireth the lyf perdurable / ther nys to hym / no thyng moore abhomynable / [125] for soothly / the lawe of god / is the loue of god ‖ for which / Dauid the prophete seith ¶ I haue loued thy lawe & hated wikkednesse & hate / he þat loueth god/kepeth his lawe & his word; [126] this tree saugh the prophete daniel in spirit vp on the auysion of Nabugodonosor / whanne he con|seiled hym / to do penitence; [127] Penance / is the tree of lyf / to hem þat it receyuen / & he þat holdeth hym in verray penitence / is blessed / after the sentence of Salomon

[128] ¶ In this penitence or Contricion / man shal vn|derstonde iiij. thynges / that is to seyn / what is Contricion / and whiche ben the causes / þat moeuen a man to Con|tricion / and how he sholde be contrit/ and what Con|tricion auaileth to the soule ‖ [129] thanne it is thus /. that Contricion is the verray sorwe / þat a man receyueth in his herte for hise synnes / with sad purpos to shryue hym & to do penance & neuere moore to do synne / [130] and this sorwe / shal ben in this manere / as seith Seint Bernard ‖ It shal ben heuy and greuous & ful sharpe & poynant in herte ‖ [131] first/ for man hath agilt his lord & his Creatour / and moore sharp & poynant for he hath agilt his fader celestial / [132] and yet moore sharpe & poynant/ for he hath wrathed & agilt hym þat boughte hym / þat with his precious blood / hath delyuered vs fro the bondes of synne / & fro the creweltee of the deuel / & fro the peynes of helle

[133] ¶ The causes / þat oghten moeuen a man to Con|tricion[vj. C]auses to meue a [ma]n to contricioun / been .vj. / ffirst/ a man shal remembren hym of hise synnes / [134] but looke þat thilke remem|brance.I. ‖ ne be to hym no delit by no wey / but gret shame & sorwe for his gilt ‖ for Iob seith / Synful men / doon werkes worthy of Confession / [135] And therfore / seith Ezechie ‖ .I. wol remembre me alle the yeris of my lyf / in bitternesse of myn herte ‖ [136] And god seith in the Apocalipes / Remembre yow / fro whennes þat ye ben falle / for biforn that tyme þat ye synned / ye were the children of god / and lymes of the regne of god / [137] but for youre synne / ye ben woxe / thral & foul and membres of the feend / hate of Aungeles / Sclaundre of holy chirche / & foode of the false serpent perpetuel matere / of the fyr of helle / [138] And yet moore foul and abhom|ynable for ye trespasen so ofte tyme / as dooth the hound / þat retorneth to ete his spewyng[Vomite (at side: later)] [139] & yet be ye fouler / for youre longe contynuynge in synne and youre synful vsage / for which / ye been roten in youre synne as a beest in his donge / [140] Swiche manere of thoughtes / maken a man haue shame of his synne & no delit as god seyth by the prophete Ezechiel / [141] ye shal remembre yow of youre weyes / and they shullen displese yow soothly / Synnes been the weyes þat leden folk to helle

[142] ¶ The seconde cause / þat oghte make a man.2. to han desdeyn of synne / is this / that as seith Seint Peter ‖ who so þat dooth synne / is thral of synne / & synne put a man in greet thraldam / [143] And ther|fore / seith the prophete Ezechiel / I wente sorweful / in desdayn of my self; ¶ Certes wel oghte a man / haue desdayn of synne & with drawe hym fro that thraldom & vileynye ‖ [144] And lo / what seith Seneca in this matere / he seith thus / though I wiste þat god / neither god ne man / ne sholde neuere knowe it/ yet wolde I. haue desdayn / for to do synne [145] ¶ And the same Seneca also seith ‖ .I. am born to gretter thynges / than to be thral to my body / or than for to maken / of my body a thral / [146] ne a fouler thral may no man ne womman make of his body / than for to yeue his body to synne / [147] al were it the fouleste cherl / or the fouleste womman þat lyueth and leest of value / yet is he thanne moore foul & moore in seruitute / [148] euere fro the hyer degree þat man falleth / the moore is he thral and moore to god & to the world vil & abhomyn|able [149] ¶ O goode god / wel oghte man haue greet des|dayn of synne / sith þat thurgh synne / ther he was fre / now is he maked bonde / [150] And ther fore / seith Seint Augustyn ¶ If thow hast desdayn of thy seruant if he agilte or synne; haue thow thanne desdayn / þat thow thy self sholdest do synne / [151] take reward of thy value / þat thow ne be to foul to thy self ‖ [152] Allas / wel oghten they thanne haue desdayn / to ben seruauntz & thralles to synne / & soore ben ashamed of hem self/ [153] þat god of his endelees goodnesse / hath set hem in heigh estat or yeuen hem wit strengthe of body / heele / beautee / prosperitee / [154] and boghte hem fro the deeth with his herte blood; þat they so vnkyndely agayns his gentilesse / quyten hym so vileynsly to slawghtre of hir owene soules [155] ¶ O[[later] nota de pulcritudine Mu|lierum malarum] goode god / ye wommen // þat been of so greet beautee / remembreth yow / of the prouerbe of Salomon ‖ he seith / [156] likneth a fair womman þat is a fool of hire body / lyk to a ryng of gold / þat were in the groyn of a Sowe / [157] for right as a Sowe wroteth in euerich ordure; so wroteth she hire beaute in stynkynge ordure of synne

[158] ¶ The thridde cause / þat oughte moeue a man.3. to Contricion / is drede of the day of dome / and of the horrible peynes of helle / [159] ffor as Seint Ierome seith / At euery tyme / þat me remembreth of the day of dome / I quake / [160] for whan I ete and drynke / or what so þat I do / euere semeth me / þat the trompe sowneth in myn ere / [161] Riseth ye vp þat ben dede & cometh to the Iugement [162] ¶ O goode god / muchel oghte a man to drede swich a Iugement/ ther as we shullen ben alle / as seith Seint Poul / biforn the Sete / of oure lord Ihu crist/ [163] where as he shal maken / a general con|gregacion / where / as no man may ben absent [164] for certes / there ne auaileth noon essoyne / ne excusacion / [165] and nat oonly / þat oure defautes shullen be Iuged / but eek þat alle oure werkes / shullen openly be knowe / [166] And as þat seith Seint Bernard / ther ne shal no pletynge auaile / ne no sleighte ¶ we shullen yeue rekenynge of euerich ydel word / [167] there shul we han a Iuge / þat may nat ben deceyued / ne corrupt. and why; for certes / alle oure thoghtes / ben descouered as to hym / ne for prayere / ne for mede / he wol nat ben corrupt [168] and therfore seith Salomon ‖ the wrathe of god . . . . . no gap in the MS. ne wol nat spare no wight/ for prayere / ne for yifte / And therfore / at the day of dome / ther nys noon hope to escape ‖ [169] Wherfore / as seith Seint Anselme ‖ fful gret anguisse / shullen the synful folk haue / at that tyme / [170] ther shal the stierne & wrothe Iuge / sitte aboue / and vnder hym / the horrible pit of helle open to de|stroye hym þat moot biknowen hise synnes / whiche synnes / openly ben shewed biforn god / and biforn euery creature / [171] and on the left syde / mo deueles than herte may bithynke / for to harye and drawe the synful soules / to the pyne of helle / [172] and with Inne the hertes of folk/ shal be the bityng conscience / & with oute forth / shal be the world al brennynge / [173] Whider shal thanne / the wrechched synful man fle to hyde hym / certes / he may nat hyde hym / he moste come forth and shewe hym ‖ [174] for certes / as seith Seint Ierome / the erthe shal caste hym / out of hym / and the See also / & the Eyr also / þat shal ben / ful of thonder clappes & lightnynges ‖ [175] Now soothly / who so wel remembreth hym of thise thynges / I gesse that his synne shal nat torne hym in delit/ but to gret sorwe / for drede of the peyne of helle ‖ [176] And ther|fore / seith Iob to god ‖ Suffre lord / þat I may awhile biwayle / & wepe er I go / with oute returnynge to the dirke lond / couered / with the derknesse of deeth / [177] to the lond of mysese & of derknesse / where as is the shadwe of deeth / where as ther is / noon ordre / or ordinance / but grisly drede þat euere shal laste [178] ¶ Lo here may ye seen / þat Iob preyde respit awhile / to biwepe and wayle his trespas / for soothly / o day of respit/ is bettre than al the tresor of this world / [179] And for as muche / as a man may acquyte hym self biforn god by penitence in this world / and nat by tresor // therfore sholde he preye to god / to yeue hym respit awhile / to biwepe & biwaylen his trespas / [180] for certes / al the sorwe þat a man myghte make fro the bigynnyng of the world / nys but a litel thyng at regard of the sorwe of helle [181] ¶ The cause / why þat Iob clepeth helle / the lond of derknesse; [182] vnderstondeth that he clepeth it lond / or erthe / for it is stable & neuere shal faile / dirk. for he þat is in helle / hath defaute of light material / [183] for certes the derke light þat shal come out of the fyr þat euere shal brenne / shal turne hym al to peyne / þat is in helle / for it sheweth hym / to the horrible deueles / þat hym tormenten / [184] couered with the derknesse of deeth ‖ that is to seyn / þat he þat is in helle shal haue defaute of the sighte of god / for certes the sighte of god / is the lyf perdurable ‖ [185] The derk|nesse of deeth / ben the synnes þat the wrecched man hath doon / whiche þat destourben hym / to se the face of god / right as a dirk clowde bitwixe vs and the sonne [186] ¶ Lond of myseise / by cause þat ther ben .iij. manere of defautes agayns .iij. thynges / þat folk of this world han in this present lyf ‖ that is to seyn /. honours /. delices /. and rychesses ‖ [187] Agayns honour / han they in helle / shame & confusion [188] for wel ye woot þat men clepen honour / the reuerence / þat man dooth to man / but in helle / is noon honour ne reuerence / for certes / namoore reuerence / shal be doon to a kyng than to a knaue ‖ [189] for which / god seith / by the prophete Ieremye ‖ thilke folk þat me despisen / shulle ben in despit [190] ¶ Honour is eek clepid greet lord|shipe / ther shal no wight seruen oother / but of harm and torment ‖ Honour is eek clepid / greet dignytee & heigh|nesse / but in helle shul they ben al fortroden of deueles ‖ [191] As god seith ‖ the horrible deueles / shullen goon & comen vp on the heuedes of dampned folk ‖ And this is / for as muche as the heyere þat they were in this present lyf / the moore shulle they ben abated and defouled in helle [192] ¶ Agayns the richesse of this world / shul they han myseyse of pouerte / and this pouerte shal be in .iiij. thynges / [193] In defaute of tresor / of which þat dauid seith ‖ the riche folk þat embraceden & oneden al hir herte to tresor of this world / shulle slepen / in the slepynge of deeth / and no thyng ne shal they fynden in hire handes / of al hire tresor ‖ [194] And moore ouer / the Misayse of helle / shal ben in defaute of mete & drynke / [195] for god seith thus by Moyses ‖ they shul ben wasted with honger / and the bryddes of helle / shul deuouren hem / with bitter deeth / and the galle of the dragon / shal ben hire drynke / and the venym of the dragon / hire morsels ‖ [196] And forther ouer / hire Miseyse / shal ben / in defaute of clothyng for they shullen ben naked in body / as of clothyng saue the fyr / in which they brenne & othere filthes / [197] and naked shul they ben of soule / of alle manere vertues / which þat is / the clothyng of soule / where ben thanne the gaye robes / & the softe shetes / & the smale shertes [198] ¶ Lo / what seith god of hem / by the prophete Ysaye ‖ that vnder hem / shul ben strawed Moththes / & hire couertures / shullen ben of wormes of helle [199] ¶ And forther ouer / hire myseyse / shal ben in defaute of frendes / for he is nat pouere / þat hath goode frendes / but there is no freend / [200] for neither god / ne no creature shal ben freend to hem / and euerich of hem / shal haten oother / with deedly hate ‖ [201] the sones & the doghtren / shullen rebellen agayns fader & moder / and kynrede agayns kynrede / and chiden & despisen / euerich of hem oother / bothe day & nyght ‖ as god seith / by the prophete Michias [202] ¶ And the louynge children þat whilom loueden so flesshly euerich oother / wolden euerich of hem eten oother / if they myghte ‖ [203] for how sholde they louen hem togidre / in the peyne of helle /; whan they hateden euerich of hem oother/in the prosperitee of this lyf / [204] for truste wel / hire flesshly loue / was dedly hate / as seith the prophete dauid; who so þat loueth wikked|nesse / he hateth his soule / [205] and who so hateth his owene soule / certes / he may loue noon oother wight in no manere / [206] and therfore / in helle is no solas / ne no frendshipe / but euere / the moore flesshly kynredes þat ben in helle / the moore cursynges / the moore chid|ynges / and the moore dedly hate / ther is among hem [207] ¶ And forther ouer / they shul haue defaute / of alle manere delices / for certes / delices ben after the appetites of the .v. wittes / as Sighte /. Herynge /. Smellynge /. Sauor|ynge /. and touchynge/[208] but in helle/hire sighte/shal be ful of dirknesse & of smoke; and therfore ful of teerys / and hire herynge / ful of waymentynge and of gryntynge of teeth / as seith Ihu crist [209] Hire nose|thirles / shul ben ful of stynkynge stynk ‖ And as seith Ysaye the prophete ‖ hire sauorynge / shal be ful of bitter galle / [210] & touchynge of al hir body / ycouered with fyr þat neuere shal quenche / & with wormes / þat neuere shul dyen / as god seith / by the mowth of Ysaye ‖ [211] And for as muche / as they shul nat wene / þat they may dyen for peyne / and by hire deeth fle fro peyne / that may they vnderstonde in the word of Iob ‖ that seith / there as is the shadwe of deþ / [212] ¶ Certes / a shadwe / hath the liknesse of the thyng / of which it is shadwe / but shadwe / is nat the same thyng of which it is shadwe ‖ [213] right so / fareth the peyne of helle / it is lyk deeth / for the horrible angwissh / and why / for it peyneth hem euere / as thogh men sholde dye anon / but certes they shal nat dye / [214] for as seith Seint Gregorie / to wrecche kaityues / shal be deeth with oute deeth / & ende with outen ende / & defaute with oute failynge / [215] for hire deeth / shal alwey lyuen / & hire ende shal euere mo bigynne / & hire defaute / shal nat faile / [216] And therfore / seith Seint Iohn the Euaungelist ‖ they shullen folwe deeth / & they shal nat fynde hym / & they shul desiren to dye / and deeth shal fle fro hem ‖ [217] And eek Iob seith / þat in helle / is noon ordre of rewle / [218] and al be it so / þat god hath creat alle thynges in right ordre / & no thyng with outen ordre / but alle thynges / ben ordeyned & nom|bred / yet nathelees they þat ben dampned / ben no thyng in ordre / ne holden noon ordre / [219] for the erthe ne shal bere hem no fruyt ‖ [220] for as the prophete dauid seith / god shal destroye / the fruyt of the erthe / as fro hem / ne water / ne shal yeue hem no moysture / ne the Eyr no refresshyng ne fyr no light ‖ [221] for as seith Seint Basile ‖ the brennynge of the fyr of this world / shal god yeuen in helle / to hem þat ben dampned / [222] but the light & the cleernesse / shal he yeuen in heuene to hise children / right as the goode man / yeueth flessh to hise children / & bones to hise houndes / [223] and for they shullen haue noon hope to escape / seith Seint Iob / atte laste / þat ther shal horrour & grisly drede dwelle with outen ende // [224] Horrour is alwey drede of harm þat is to come / & this drede shal euere dwelle in the hertes / of hem þat ben dampned / and therfore; han they lorn al hire hope / for .vij. causes ‖ [225] ffirst for god þat is hir Iuge / shal be with oute mercy to hem / ne they may nat plese hym / ne noon of hise halwes / ne they ne may yeue no thyng for hire raunson / [226] ne they haue no Voys / to speke to hym / ne they may nat fle fro peyne / ne they haue no goodnesse in hem that they may shewe / to delyuere hem fro peyne / [227] And therfore seith Salomon ‖ the wikked man dieþ & whan he is deed / he shal haue noon hope / to escape fro peyne [228] ¶ Who so thanne wolde wel vn|derstonde thise peynes & bithynke hym wel / þat he hath disserued thilke peynes for hise synnes / certes he sholde haue moore talent to siken & to wepe / than for to syngen & to pleye ‖ [229] for as þat seith Salomon / who so þat hadde the science to knowe the peynes þat ben establised & ordeyned for synne / he wolde make sorwe / [230] thilke science / as seith Seint Augustyn / maketh a man / to waymente in his herte /

[231] ¶ The .iiije. poynt that oghte make a manThe .iiij.e mevere to contricioun. haue contricion / is the sorweful remembrance of the good / þat he hath left to doon here in erthe / & eek / the good þat he hath lorn / [232] Soothly / the goode werkes þat he hath left either they ben the goode werkes þat he wroghte er he fil in to deedly synne / or ellis / the goode werkes þat he wroghte / whil he lay in synne / [233] Soothly / the goode werkes þat he dide biforn þat he fil in synne / ben al mortefied / & astoned / & dulled / by the ofte synnynge / [234] That othere goode werkes þat he wroghte / whil he lay in dedly synne / they ben outrely dede / as to the lyf / perdurable in heuene ‖ [235] thanne thilke goode werkes þat ben mortefied by ofte synnyng whiche goode werkes he dide while he was in charitee / ne mowe neuere quyken agayn / with oute verray penitence / [236] And ther of seith god / by the mowth of Ezechiel / that if the rightful man re|turne agayn from his rightwisnesse / & werke wikked|nesse / shal he lyue; / [237] nay / for alle the goode werkes þat he hath wroght ne shulle neuere ben in remembrance / for he shal dye / in his synne / [238] and vp on thilke chapitre / seith Seint Gregorie thus ‖ that we shul vnder|stonde this / principally / [239] that whan we doon dedly synne / it is for nawght thanne to reherse / or drawen in to memorie / the goode werkes þat we han wroght biforn [240] ¶ for certes / in the werkynge of the dedly synne / ther is no trust to no good werk þat we han doon biforn / that is to seyn / as for to haue ther by / the lyf per|durable in heuene / [241] but nathelees / the goode werkes quyken agayn and comen agayn & helpen & auaylen / to haue the lyf perdurable in heuene / whan we han Contricion / [242] but soothly the goode werkes þat men doon / whil þat they been in dedly synne / for as muche / as they weren doon in dedly synne / they may neuere quyken agayn / [243] for certes / thyng þat neuere hadde lyf / may neuere quyken / and natheles / al be it þat they ne auayle noght to han the lyf perdurable / yet auaylen they / to abreggen of the peyne of helle / or ellis / to gete temporal richesses / [244] or ellis / þat god wole the rather enlumyne & lighte / the herte of the synful man to han repentance; [245] And eek they auailen / for to vsen a man to doon goode werkes / þat the feend / haue the lasse power of his soule / [246] and thus the curteys lord Ihu crist ne wole þat no good werk be lost for in som what it shal auayle / [247] but for as muche as the goode werkes / þat men doon whil they ben in good lyf/ ben al amortised by synne folwynge; / and eek sith þat alle the goode werkes þat men doon / whil they ben in dedly synne / ben outrely dede / as for to han / the lyf perdurable / [248] wel may þat man / þat no good werk ne dooth / synge thilke newe frenshe song Iay tout perdu / mon temps & mon labour ‖ [249] ffor certes synne bireueth a man / bothe goodnesse of nature / & eek the goodnesse of grace / [250] for soothly / the grace of the holy goost fareth lyk fyr / þat may nat ben ydel / for fyr faileth / anon / as it forleteth his werk|ynge / and right so grace faileth / anon as it forleteth his werkynge / [251] thanne leseth the synful man/the goodnesse of glorie / that oonly / is bihight to goode men þat labouren and werken / [252] Wel may he be sory thanne þat oweth al his lyf to god / as longe as he hath lyued / and eek as longe as he shal lyue / þat no goodnesse ne hath / to paye with his dette to god / to whom he oweth al his lyf / [253] for truste wel / he shal yeue acountes as seith Seint Bernard / of alle the goodes þat han ben yeuen hym in this present lyf / and how he hath hem despended / [254] nat so muche / þat ther shal nat perisse an heer of his heed / ne a moment of an houre ne shal nat perisse of his tyme / þat he ne shal yeue of it a rekenynge

[255] ¶ The .v.the thyng þat oghte moeue a man toThe .v.the mevere t[o] contricioun Contricion / is remembrance of the passion þat oure lord Ihu crist suffred for oure synnes / [256] for as seith Seint Bernard / Whil þat I lyue I shal haue remem|brance of the trauailes þat oure lord Ihu crist suffred / in prechynge / [257] his werynesse in trauailynge / hise tempt|acions whan he fasted / hise longe wakynges whan he preyed / hise teerys whan þat he weep for pitee of good peple / [258] the wo / and the shame / & the filthe þat men seyden to hym / of the foule spittyng þat men spitte on his face / of the buffettes that men yaue hym / of the fowle Mowwes & of the re|preues þat men to hym seyden / [259] of the nayles / with whiche he was nayled to the croys / and of al the remenant of his passion / þat he suffred for my synnes / and no thyng for his gilt ‖ [260] And ye shal vnder|stonde / þat in mannes synne / is euery manere ordre of ordinance / turned vp so down / [261] for it is sooþ þat god /. and reson /. and sensualitee. & the body of man / ben so ordeyned / þat euerich of thise .iiij. thynges / sholde haue lordshipe ouer that oother / [262] as thus /. god sholde haue lordshipe ouer reson / & reson ouer Sensualitee / & Sensualitee ouer the body of man / [263] but soothly / whan man synneth / al this ordre / or ordinance / is turned vp so down / [264] and therfore thanne / for as muche as the reson of man / ne wol nat be subget ne obeisant to god / þat is his lord by right /; ther|fore leseth it the lordshipe / þat it sholde haue in Sensualitee / & eek ouer the body of man / [265] and why / for Sensualitee rebelleth thanne agayns reson / and by that wey / leseth reson the lordshipe ouer Sensualitee & ouer the body / [266] for right as reson is rebel to god / right so is bothe sensualitee rebel to reson & the body also ‖ [267] and certes this desordinance & this rebellion / oure lord Ihu crist aboghte / vp on his precious body ful deere / and herkneth in which wise ‖ [268] for as muche thanne / as reson is rebel to god / ther|fore is man worthy to haue sorwe / and to be deed / [269] this suffred oure lord Ihu crist for man / after þat he hadde be bitraysed of his disciple and destreyned & bounde so / þat the blood brast out at euery nayl of hise handes / as seith Seint Augustyn ‖ [270] And forther ouer for as muchel as reson of man ne wol nat daunte sensu|alitee when it may; / therfore / is man worthy to han shame / and this suffrede oure lord Ihu crist for man whan they spette in his visage ‖ [271] and forther ouer / for as muche thanne / as the kaytif body of man / is rebel / bothe to reson & to sensualitee / therfore / it is worthy the deeth / [272] and this suffred oure lord Ihu crist for man vp on the croys / where as ther nas no part of his body free with oute gret peyne & bitter passion / [273] and al this suffred Ihu crist þat neuere forfeted ‖ . . . . .no gap in the MS. to muchel am I peyned for the thynges þat I neuere deserued and to muche defouled for shendshipe / þat man is worthy to haue ‖ [274] And ther|fore / may the synful man wel seye / as seith Seint Bernard / Acursed be the bitternesse of my synne / for which / ther moste be suffred so muche bitternesse / [275] for certes after the diuerse discordances of oure wikkednesses / was the passion of Ihu crist ordeyned in diuerse thynges ‖ [276] As thus ‖ Certes synful mannes soule is bitraysed of the deuel by coueitise of temporel prosperitee & scorned by deceyte / whan he cheseth flesshly delites / and yet is it tormented by inpacience of Aduersitee / and byspet by seruage & subieccion of synne / and atte laste / it is slayn fynally ‖ [277] for this desordenance of synful man / was Ihu crist first bitraysed / and after that was he bownde / þat cam for to vnbynde vs / of Synne & of peyne ‖ [278] thanne was he biscorned / þat oonly sholde ben honoured in alle thynges of alle thynges / [279] thanne was his visage þat oghte be desired to be seyn of alle mankynde in which visage Angels desiren to looke / vileynsly bispet / [280] thanne was he skourged / þat no thyng hadde agilt and fynally / thanne was he crucefied & slayn ‖ [281] thanne was acompliced the word of Ysaie ‖ He was wounded for oure mysdedes / & defouled by oure felonyes [282] ¶ Now sith þat Ihu crist took vp on hym self the peyne of alle oure wikkednesses; / muchel oghte synful man wepe & biwayle / þat for hise synnes / goddes sone of heuene / sholde al this peyne endure [283] ¶ The .vj.theThe .vj.the m[evere to] con[tricioun] thyng þat oghte moeue a man to Contricion / is the hope of .iij. thynges / that is to seyn / foryeuenesse of synne / and the yifte of grace wel for to do / and the glorie of heuene / with which god shal gerdone man for hise goode dedes ‖ [284] And for as muche / as Ihu crist yeueth vs thise yiftes of his largesse & of his souereyn bountee / therfore is he clepid Ihus Nazarenus rex Iudeorum [285] ¶ Ihu is for to seyn / Saueour / or Sa|uacion / on whom men shal hope / to haue foryifnesse of synnes / which þat is proprely / Sauacion of synnes / [286] and therfore / seyde the Aungel to Ioseph ‖ thow shalt clepe his name Ihus / þat shal saue his peple of hire synnes / [287] And heerof / seith Seint Peter ‖ ther is noon oother name vnder heuene þat is yeue to any man / by which a man may be saued / but oonly Ihus [288] ¶ Nazarenus / is as muche for to seye / as florissynge / In which a man shal hope / þat he / þat yeueth hym remission of synnes / shal yeue hym eek grace wel to do / for in the flour/ is hope of fruyt in tyme comynge / and in foryifnesse of synnes / hope of grace wel to do [289] ¶ I was at the dore of thyn herte seith Ihus / & clepede for to entre / he þat opneth to me / shal haue foryifnesse of synne / [290] I wol entre in to hym by my grace / and sowpe with hym / by the goode werkes þat he shal doon / whiche werkes / ben the foode of god / and he shal sowpe with me / by the grete ioye þat I shal yeue hym ‖ [291] thus shal man hope / þat for hise werkes of penance / god shal yeue hym his regne / as he byheteth hym in the gospel.In what manere o[ghte] ben thy contricioun

[292] ¶ Now shal man vnderstonde / in which manere shal ben his contricion / I seye / that it shal ben vniuersal and total / this is to seyn / a man shal be verray repentant/ for alle hise synnes þat he hath doon / in delit of his thoght. for delit is ful perilous / [293] for ther ben two manere of consentynges / that oon of hem / is clepid / consentynge of affeccion whan a man / is moeued to do synne/and thanne deliteth hym longe / for to thynke on that synne / [294] and his reson / aperceyueth wel þat it is synne / agayns the lawe of god / and yet his reson refreyneth nat his fool delit/ or talent though he seeth wel apertly / þat it is agayns the reuerence of god / al though his reson / ne consente nat / to doon the synne in dede / [295] yet seyn somme doctours / þat swich delit þat dwelleþ longe / it is ful perilous / al be neuer so lite / [296] and also / a man sholde sorwe / namely / for al that euere he hath desired agayn the lawe of god / with parfit consentynge of his reson / for ther of is no doute / þat it is dedly synne / in the consentynge / [297] for certes ther is no dedly synne / þat it nas first in mannes thoght & after that in his delit & so forth / in to consentynge & in to dede / [298] Wherfore I seye / þat many men ne repenten hem neuere of swyche thoghtes & delites / ne neuere shryuen hem of it but oonly / of the dede of grete synnes outward [299] ¶ Wher fore I seye / þat swiche wikked delites & wikked thoghtes / ben subtil bigyleris of hem þat shullen ben dampned [300] ¶ Moore ouer / man oghte to sorwen for hise wikked wordes / as wel / as hise wikked dedes / for certes / the repentance of a singuler synne & nat repente of alle hise othere synnes ‖ or ellis repente hym of alle hise othere synnes / and nat of a synguler synne / may nat auayle / [301] for certes / god almyghty / is al good / and therfore / outher he foryeueth al / or ellis right noght/ [302] And her of seith Seint Augustyn ¶ I woot certeynly / [303] þat god is enemy to euerich synnere / And how thanne / he þat obserueth o synne / shal he haue foryeuenesse of the remenant of hise othere synnes; nay; [304] ¶ And forther ouer Contricion / sholde be wonder sorweful and ang|uissous / and ther fore / yeueth hym god / pleynly his mercy / and therfore / whan my soule was anguissous with Inne me / I hadde remembrance of god / þat my prayere myghte come to hym [305] ¶ fforther ouer Contricion moste be continuel / and þat man haue stede|fast purpos to shryue hym / & for to amende hym of his lyf / [306] for soothly / whil Contricion lasteth / man may euere haue hope of foryeuenesse / And of this / cometh hate of synne þat destroyeth synne / bothe in hym self & eek in othere folk at his power / [307] for which seith Dauid / ye þat louen god / hateth wikkednesse / for trusteth wel / to loue god / is for to loue that he loueth / nota & hate that he hateth

[308] ¶ The laste thyng þat men shal vnderstonde in Contricion / is this / wher of auaileth Contricion ¶ I seye / þat som tyme / Contricion delyuereth man fro synne / [309] of which þat Dauid seith ‖ I seye quod Dauid / that is to seyn / I. purposed fermely to shryue me / & thow lord relessedest my synne / [310] and right so as Contricion auaileth nat / with outen sad purpos of shrifte / if man haue oportunytee; right so / litel worth is shrifte / or satisfaccion / with oute Contricion / [311] And moore / Contricion destroyeth the prison of helle and maketh wayk & feble / the strengthes of the deueles / & restoreth the yiftes of the holy goost & of alle goode vertues / [312] and it clenseth the soule of synne & delyuereth the soule fro the peyne of helle / & fro the compaignye of the deuel / and fro the seruage of synne / & restoreth it to alle goodes espirituels & to the compaignye communyon of holy chirche / [313] and forther ouer/ it maketh hym / þat whilom was sone of Ire / to be sone of grace / and alle thise thynges / be preued by holy writ / [314] and therfore / he þat wolde sette his entente / to thise thynges / he were ful wys / for soothly / he ne sholde nat thanne in al his lyf / haue corage to synne / but yeue his body & al his herte / to the seruyce of Ihu crist & ther of doon hym hommage / [315] for certes / oure swete lord Ihu crist hath sparid vs so debonairly in oure folies / þat if he ne hadde pitee of mannes soule / a sory song we myghten alle synge .. . .. . ...

¶ Explicit prima pars penitencie; ¶ Et incipit secunda pars eiusdem . . .

[316] THe seconde partie of Penitence / is Confession / that is signe of Contricion [317] ¶ Now shul ye vnderstonde / what is Confession / & wheither it oghte nedes be doon / or noon / & whiche thynges ben couenable to verray Confession

[318] ¶ ffirst shaltow vnderstonde / þat Confession is verray shewynge of synnes to the preest [319] this is to seyn verray / for he moot confesse hym of alle the condicions þat bilongen to his synne / as ferforþ as he kan / [320] al moot be seyd / & no thyng excused / ne hid / ne forwrapped / & nat auance hym of hise goode werkes ‖ [321] And forther ouer / it is necessarie to vnder|stonde / whennes þat synnes spryngen / & how they encressen / & whiche they ben

[322] ¶ Of the spryngynge of Synnes / as seith Seint Paul in this wise ‖ that right as by a man / synne entred first in to this world / and thurgh that synne deth / 'right so thilke deth entred in to alle men þat synneden / [323] and this man was Adam / by whom synne entred in to this world / whan he brak the comandementz of god / [324] and therfore / he þat first was so myghty / þat he sholde nat haue deyed / bicam swich oon / þat he moste nedes dye wheither he wolde or noon / & al his progenye þat is in this world/ þat in thilke man synneden [325] ¶ Looke þat in thestat of Innocence / whan Adam & Eue / naked weren in Paradys and no thyng ne hadden shame of hir nakednesse / [326] how þat the serpent þat was moost wily of alle othere bestes þat god hadde maked / seyde to the womman ‖ why comanded god to yow / ye sholde nat eten of euery tree in Paradys; ‖ [327] the womman answerde / Of the fruyt quod she of the trees in Paradys / we feden vs / but soothly / of the fruyt of the tree þat is in the myddel of Paradys / god forbad vs for to ete / ne nat touche it/ list per auenture we sholde dyen ‖ [328] the serpent seyde to the womman / nay / nay / ye shul nat dyen of deth / for sothe god woot þat what day þat ye eten ther of / youre eyen shulle opne / & ye shul ben as goddes / konnynge good & harm ‖ [329] the womman saugh / þat the tree was good to fedynge / and fair to the eyen / & delitable to sighte / 'she took of the fruyt of the tree & eet it & yaf it to hire housbonde / & he eet & anon the eyen of hem bothe opnede / [330] and whan þat they knewe þat they were naked / they sowed of ffyge leues in manere of breches / to hiden hire membres ‖ [331] Here may ye seen / þat dedly synne / hath first suggestion of the feend / as sheweth heere by the Naddre / and afterward the delit of the flessh / as sheweth heere by Eua / and after that the consentynge of reson / as sheweth heere by Adam / [332] ffor truste wel / thogh so were / þat the feend tempted oon / that is to seyn the flessh / and the flessh hadde delit in the beautee of the fruyt deffended / 'yet certes til þat reson / that is to seyn Adam / con|sented to the etyng of the fruyt yet stood he / in the estat of Innocence [333] ¶ Of thilke Adam / toke we thilke synne original / for of hym / flesshly descended be we alle & engendred / of vile & corrupt matere / [334] and whan the soule / is put in oure body / right anoon is con|tract original synne / and that / þat was erst but oonly peyne of concupiscence / is afterward / bothe peyne & synne / [335] And ther fore be we alle yborn sones of wraththe & of dampnacion perdurable / if it nere baptesme / þat we receyuen / which bynymeþ vs the culpe / but for sothe / the peyne dwelleth with vs as to temptacion / which peyne / highte concupiscence / [336] and this concupiscence / whan it is wrongfully disposed / or ordeyned in man / it maketh hym coueite by couetise of flessh / flesshly synne / by sighte of hise eyen / as to erthely thynges / And eek coueitise of heynesse by pryde of herte

[337] ¶ Now as to speke of the firste coueitise / that is concupiscence / after the lawe of oure membres þat weren lawefulliche ymaked & by rightful Iuge|ment of god / [338] I seye / for as muche / as man is nat obeisant to god that is his lord / therfore / is the flessh to hym desobeisant thurgh concupiscence / which þat yet is clepid norissynne of synne & occasion of synne / [339] therfore / al the while þat a man hath in hym the peyne of concupiscence / it is impossible / but he be tempted som tyme & moeued in his flessh to synne / [340] and this thyng may nat faile as longe as he lyueth / it may wel wexe feble and faile by vertu of baptesme & by the grace of god / thurgh penitence / [341] but fully ne shal it neuere quenche / þat he ne shal som|tyme / be moeued in hym self/ but if he were al refreided by siknesse / or by malefice of sorcerye / or colde drynkes / [342] ffor lo / what seith Seint Paul ‖ the flessh coueiteth agayn the spirit / & the spirit agayn the flessh / they ben so contrarie & so stryuen / þat a man may nat alwey do as he wolde [343] ¶ The same Seynt Paul / after his grete penance in water & in londe / in water by nyght & by day in gret peril & in gret peyne in londe / in famyn & thurst in cold and clothlees & ones stooned almoost to the deth / [344] yet seyde he / Allas .I. kaytif man / who shal delyuere me fro the prison of my kaytif body ‖ [345] And Seint Ierom / whanne he longe tyme hadde woned in desert where as he hadde no compaignye / but of wilde bestes / where as he hadde no mete / but herbes / & water to his drynke / ne no bed / but the naked erthe / for which his flessh was blak as an Ethiopen for hete & ney destroyed for cold /. [346] yet seyde he / þat the brennynge of lecherye / boylede in al his body [347] ¶ Wherfore I woot wel sikerly / þat they ben deceyued / þat seyn / they þat ne be nat tempted in hire body / [348] Witnesse on Seint Iame the Apostel / that seith / that euery wight is tempted in his owene con|cupiscence / that is to seyn / that euerich of vs / hath matere & occasion / to be tempted / of the norissynge of synne. þat is in his body ‖ [349] And therfore / seith Seint Iohn the Euaungelist ‖ If þat we seyn / þat we be with oute synne / we deceyuen vs selue and trouthe is nat in vs /

[350] ¶ Now shul ye vnderstonde in what manere / þat synne wexeth & encresceth in man ¶ the firste thyng is thilke norissynge of synne / of which I spak biforn / thilke flesshly concupiscence / [351] and after that comth the subieccion of the deuel / this is to seyn the deueles bely / with which he bloweth in man / the fyr of flesshly concupiscence / [352] and after that a man by|thynketh hym / wheither he wol doon or no / thilke thyng to which he is tempted / [353] and thanne / if þat a man with stonde and wayue the firste entisynges of his flessh / & of the feend / thanne is it no synne / and if so be / þat he do nat so / thanne feeleth he anon a flawmbe of delit / [354] and thanne is it good / to be war and kepe hym wel / or ellis he wol falle anon in to consentynge of synne / & thanne wol he do it/ if he may haue tyme & place ‖ [355] And of this matere seith Moyses / by the deuel / in this manere ¶ The feend seith ‖ I wol chace & pursue the man / by wikked suggestion / and I wol hente hym / by moeuyng or stiryng of synne / & .I. wol departe my prise / or my preye by de|liberacion / & my lust shal ben acompliced in delit ‖ I wol drawe my swerd in consentynge / [356] for certes / right as a swerd departeth a thyng in two peces / right so consentynge / departeth god fro man / and thanne wol I sle hym with myn hand in dede of synne ‖ thus seyth the feend / [357] for certes / thanne is a man al deed in soule / and thus is synne acompliced / by temp|tacion / by delit & by consentynge / & thanne is the synne clepid actuel

[358] ¶ ffor sothe / synne is in two maneres / outher it venyal / or dedly synne ‖ Soothly / whan man loueth any creature / moore than Ihu crist oure creatour / thanne is it dedly synne / and venial synne is it if man loue Ihu crist lasse than hym oghte / [359] for sothe / the dede of this venial synne is ful perilous / for it amenuseth the loue þat men sholde han to god moore & moore / [360] and therfore / if a man charge hym self with manye swiche venial synnes / certes / but if so be / þat he som tyme descharge hym of hem by shrifte / they mowe ful lightly amenuse in hym / al the loue / þat he hath to Ihu crist [361] and in this wise skippeth Venial / in to Dedly synne / for certes / the moore þat a man chargeth his soule / with venial synnes / the moore is he enclyned to falle in dedly synne / [362] And therfore / lat vs nat be necligent to deschargen vs of venial synnes / for the prouerbe seith / that manye smale maketh a greet ‖ [363] And herkne this ensample ‖ A greet wawe of the See / comth som tyme / with so greet a violence / that it drencheth the Shipe / and the same harm / doon som tyme / the smale dropes of water / þat entreth thurgh a litel creuesse in to the Thurrok/ & in the botme of the shipe / if men be so necligent þat men ne descharge hem nat by tyme / [364] and therfore / al thogh ther be a difference / bitwixe thise two causes of drenchynge / algates the Shipe is dreynt [365] ¶ right so fareth it som tyme of dedly synne / & of anoyouse venials synnes / whan they multiplie in a man so gretly / þat thilke worldly thynges þat he loueth / thurgh which he synneth venially / is as gret in his herte / as the loue of god / or moore / [366] and therfore / the loue of euery thyng þat is nat byset in god / ne doon principally for goddes sake / al þat a man loue it lasse than god / yet is it venial synne / [367] & dedly synne / whan the loue of any thyng weyeth in the herte of man / as muche / as the loue of god / or moore [368] ¶ Dedly synne / as seith Seynt Augustyn is / whan man turneth his herte fro god / which that is verray souereyn bowntee / þat may nat chaunge / & yeueth his herte / to a thyng/ þat may chaunge & flitte / [369] and certes / that is euery thyng saue god of heuene / for sooth is / þat if a man yeue his loue / the which þat he oweth al to god with al his herte / vn to a creature / certes as muche of his loue as he yeueth to thilke creature / so muche he bireueth fro god / [370] and ther|fore / dooth he synne / for he þat is dettour to god / ne yeldeth nat to god al his dette / that is to seyn / al the loue of his herte /

[371] ¶ Now sith man vnderstondeth generally / which is venial synne / thanne is it couenable / to tellen specially of synnes / whiche þat many a man per auenture ne demeth hem nat synnes / & ne shryueth hym nat of the same thynges / & yet nathelees they been synnes / [372] and soothly / as thise clerkes writen / this is to seyn / þat euery tyme þat man eteth or drynketh / moore than suffiseth to the sustenance of his body / in certeyn he dooth synne ‖ [373] and eek / whan he speketh moore than it nedeth / it is synne ‖ eek whan he herkneth nat be|nygnely þe compleynte of the pouere ‖ [374] eek whan he is in heele of body / and wol nat faste / whan oother folk fasten / with outen cause resonable ‖ eek/ whan he slepeth moore than nedeth / or whan he comth by thilke encheson / to late to chirche / or to othere werkes of charitee ‖ [375] eek/ whan he vseth his wyf / with oute souereyn desir of engendrure / to honour of god / or for the entente / to yelde to his wyf the dette of his body ‖ [376] eek whan he wol nat visite the syke / & the prisoner / if he may ‖ eek / if he loue wyf or child / or oother worldly thyng moore than reson requereth ‖ eek if he flatre / or blandise moore than hym oghte / for any necessitee ‖ [377] eek if he amenuse / or withdrawe the almesse of the pouere ‖ eek if he apparaileth his mete / moore deliciously / than nede is / or ete it to hastily / by likerous|nesse ‖ [378] eek/ if he tale vanytes / at chirche / or at goddes seruyce / or þat he be a talkere of ydel wordes / of folye / or of vileynye / for he shal yelde acounte of it at the day of dome ‖ [379] eek / whan he biheteth / or assureth to do thynges / þat he ne may nat perfourne ‖ eek/ whan þat he / by lightnesse / or folye / mysseyth / or scorneth his neighebore [380] eek whan he hath any wikked suspecion of thyng ther he ne woot of it no sooth|fastnesse ‖ [381] thise thynges / & mo with oute nombre ben synnes / as seith Seint Augustyn /

[382] ¶ Now shalmen vnderstonde / þat al be it so / þat noon erthely man may eschewe alle veniale synnes / yet may he refreyne hem by the brennynge loue þat he hath to oure lord Ihu crist and by preyeres & confession / & othere goode werkes / so / þat it shal but litel greue ‖ [383] for as seiþ Seint Augustyn ‖ If a man loue god in swich manere / þat al that euere he dooth / is in the loue of god / or for the loue of god verraily for he brenneth in the loue of god / [384] looke / how muche þat a drope of water þat falleth in a furneys ful of fyr/ anoyeth / or greueth / 'so muche / anoyeth a venial synne vn to a man / þat is perfit in the loue of Ihu crist ‖ [385] Men may also / refreyne venial synne / by receyuynge worthily / of the precious body of Ihu crist [386] by receyuynge eek/ of holy water / by almes dede / by general confession / of Confiteor / at masse & at Complyn / & by blessynge of Bisshopes / & of preestes / & by othere goode werkes

¶ De Septem peccatis mortalibus.

[387] NOw is it bihouely thyng to telle / whiche ben dedly synnes / that is to seyn / chieftaynes of synnes / alle they renne in o lees / but in dyuerse manere / now ben they clepid chieftaynes / for as muche as they ben chief / and sprynge of alle othere synnes [388] ¶ Of the roote of thise .vij. synnes / thanne is pryde / the general roote of alle harmes / for of this roote / spryngen certeyn branches / as Ire /. Enuye /. Accidie / or Sleuthe /. Auarice / or Coueitise /. to commune vnderstondynge /. Glotonye /. and lecherye ‖ [389] and euerich of thise chief synnes / hath hise branches and hise twigges / as shal be declared / in hire chapitres folwynge /

 [De] Superbia[from margin: no break in MS.]

[390] and though so be / þat no man kan outrely tellen the nombre of twigges & of the harmes þat comen of[The] braunches [of] Pryde Pryde / yet wol I shewe a partie of hem / as ye shul vnderstande [391] ¶ Ther is / Inobedience / Auantynge / Ypocrisye / Despit Arrogaunce / Inpudence / Swellynge of herte / Insolence / Elacion / Inpacience / Stryf / Contumacie / Presumpcion / Inreuerence / Pertinacie / Veyne glorie / and many another twig þat I kan nat declare [392] ¶ In|obedient is he / þat desobeieth for despit / to the comande|[Ino]bedience:mentz of god / & to hise souereins / & to his goostly fader [393] ¶ Auantour / is he þat bosteth / of the harm /[Auan]tyng. or of the bowntee þat he hath doon [394] ¶ Ypocrite is he / that hideth / to shewe hym / swich as he is / and sheweth hym / swich as he nawght is / [395] ¶ DespitousDe[spitous] is he / that hath desdeyn of his neighebore / that is to seyn / of his euenecristen / or hath despit/ to doon / that hym oghte to do [396] ¶ Arrogant is he þat thynketh /Arroga[nt] þat he hath thilke bountees in hym / þat he hath nat/ or weneth þat he sholde haue hem / by hise desertes / or ellis he demeth / þat he be that he nys nat / [397] ¶ Im|pudent is he þat for his pryde / hath no shame of hisImpudent synne [398] ¶ Swellynge of herte is / whan manSwelling of [herte] Insolent. reioyseth hym of harm þat he hath doon / [399] ¶ Inso|lent is he / that despiseth in his Iugement alle oother folk/ as to regard of his value / & of his konnynge / & of his spekynge / & of his berynge [400] ¶ Elacion is / whanElacioun. he ne may neither suffre to haue maister ne felawe [401] ¶ Inpacient is he / þat wol nat ben ytaught ne vnder|Inpacient.nome of his vice / & by stryf/ werreieth trouthe wityngly & deffendeth his folye / [402] ¶ Contumax is he / þatContumax. thurgh his Indignacion / is agayns euerich auctoritee / or power / of hem þat ben hise souereyns / [403] ¶ Pre|sumpcion is / whan a man vndertaketh an Emprise / þatPresumpcioun. hym oghte nat do / or ellis þat he may nat do / and that is called Surquydie ¶ Inreuerence is / whan men do natInreuerence. honour / ther as hem oghte to doon / and waiteth / to be reuerenced [404] ¶ Pertinacie / is whan a man deffendethPertynacie. his folye / & trusteth to muche to his owene wit / [405] Veyne glorie is / for to haue pompe & delit in thiseVeyn glorye temporel heynesses & glorifie hem / in worldly estatz [406] ¶ Ianglynge is / whan a man speketh toIanglynge muche biforn folk & clappeth as a Melle / & taketh no kepe / what he seith

[407] ¶ And yet is ther a pryuee spice of pryde / thatDesir of worshi[p] waiteth / first to be salewed / er he wole salewe / al be he lasse worthy / than that oother is par auenture / and eek he wayteth / or desireth / to sitte / or ellis / to goon aboue hym in the weye / or kisse pax / or ben ensensed / or goon to offrynge biforn his neighebore / [408] and swiche semblable thynges / agayns his duetee per auenture / but þat he hath / his herte and his entente in swich a proud desir / to be magnyfied & honoured / biforn the peple

[409] ¶ Now ben ther / two maneres of pryde / that.ij. maners of pri[de] oon of hem / is with Inne the herte of man / and that oother is with oute / [410] of whiche soothly / thise for|seyde thynges / & mo than I haue seyd aperte nen to pryde / þat is in the herte of man / And that othere speces of pride ben with oute / [411] but natheles / that oon of thise speces of pride / is signe of that oother / right as the gaye leuesel atte Tauerne / is signe / of the wyn / þat is in the Celer ‖ [412] And this is in manye thynges / as in speche & contenance / & in outrageous array of clothyng [413] for certes / if ther ne hadde be no synneclothing / in clothyng crist wolde nat so soone haue noted & spoke of the clothyng of thilke riche man in the gospel ‖ [414] And as seith Seint Gregorie / that precious clothyng is cow|pable / for the derthe of it & for his softnesse / & for his strangenesse & degisynesse / and for the super|fluitee / or for the inordinat scantnesse of it ‖ [415] Allas / may man nat seen as in oure dayes / the synful costlewe array of clothynge / & namely in to muche superfluitee / or ellis in to desordinat scantnesse

[416] ¶ As to the firste synne / that is in superfluitee of clothynge / which þat maketh it so deere to harm of the peple / [417] nat oonly / the cost of enbrawdynge / the degyse / endentynge / or barrynge / owndynge / palynge / or bendynge / & semblable wast of clooth in vanytee ‖ [418] but ther is also the costlewe furrynge in hire gownes / so muche pownsonynge of chisel / to maken holes / so muche daggynge of sheris / [419] forth / with the superfluitee / in lengthe of the forseyde gownes trail|ynge in the dong & in the Myre on horse / & eek on foote / as wel / of man / as of womman / þat al thilke trailynge / is verraily as in effect wasted / consumed / thred|bare / & roten with donge rather/ than it is yeuen to the pouere / to gret damage / of the forseide pouere folk / [420] and that in sondry wise / this is to seyn / þat the moore þat clooth is wasted / the moore moot it coste to the peple for the scarsnesse / [421] and forther ouer / if so be / þat they wolde yeue swiche pownsonyd & dagged clothynge to the pouere folk/ it is nat conuenient to were / for hire estat ne suffisant to beete hire necessitee / to kepe hem / fro the destemperance of the firmament [422] ¶ Vp on that oother syde / to speke of the horrible desordynat scantnesse of clothyng as ben thise kutted sloppes / or hanselyns / þat thurgh hire shortnesse / ne keuere nat the shameful membres of man to wikke entente / [423] Allas / somme of hem shewen the shape & the boce of hire horrible swollen membres / þat semeth lik the maladie of hirnia / in the wrappynge of hire hoses [424] and eek the buttokes of hem / þat faren as it were the hyndre part of a she Ape / in the fulle of the Moone ‖ [425] And moore ouer / the wrecched swollen membres / þat they shewe thurgh degisynge / in departynge of hire hoses in whit and reed / semeth / þat half hire shame|ful pryuee membres weren flayn / [426] ¶ And if so be / þat they departen hire hoses in othere colours / as is whit & blew / or whit & blak / or blak & reed / & so forth / [427] thanne semeth it as by variance of colour / þat half the partie of hire pryuee membres / ben corrupt by the fyr of Seint Antony / or by cancre / or othere swiche meschances ‖ Yet [428] of the hyndre part of hire buttokes / it is ful horrible for to se / for certes in that partie of hire body / ther as they purgen hire stynkynge ordure / [429] that foule partie / shewe they to the peple proudly in despit of honestetee / which honestetee þat Ihu crist & hise frendes obseruede to shewen in his lyue [430] ¶ Now / as of the outrageous array of wommen / god woot þat thogh the visages of somme of hem / seme ful chaste & debonaire / 'yet notifie they in hire array of atyr / likerousnesse & pride [431] ¶ I seye nat þat honestetee in clothynge / of man or womman / is vncouen|able / but certes the superfluitee / or the desordinat skantitee of clothynge is reprouable / [432] ¶ Also / the synne of Aornement/ or of apparaille / as in thynges þat apertenenpride in thinges t[hat] longeth to rydyn[ge] to ridynge / as in to manye delicat horses þat ben holden for delit þat they ben so faire / fatte / & costlewe / [433] and also many a vicious knaue mayntened by cause of hem / and in to curious harneys / as in Sadeles / in croupers / peytrels / and brydles couered with precious clothyng & riche barres & plates of gold & of siluer / [434] for which / god seith / by Zakarie the prophete / ¶ I wol confounde / the ryderes of swiche horses ‖ [435] thise folk taken litel reward / of the ridynge of goddes sone of heuene / & of his harneys / whan he rood vp on an Asse / & ne hadde noon oother harneys / but the pouere clothes of hise disciples / ne we ne rede nat þat euere he rood on oother beest [436] I speke this for the synne of superfluitee / & nat for resonable honestetee / whan reson it requereth [437] ¶ And forther ouer / certes pride is gretly notified in holdynge of gret Meynee /pride of Meyne: whan they ben of litel profit / or of right no profit [438] and namely / whan that Meynee / is felonous & damage|ous to the peple / by hardynesse of hey lordshipe / or by wey of offices / [439] for certes swiche lordes / sellen thanne hir lordship / to the deuel of helle / whan they sustenen / the wikkednesse of hire meynee / [440] or ellis / whan thise folk of lowe degree / as thilke þat holden hostelries / sustenen the thefte of hire hostelers / & that is / in many manere of deceites / [441] thilke manere of folk ben the flyes / þat folwen the hony / or ellis the houndes / þat folwen the careyne / Swich forseide folk/ stranglen spiritually hire lordshipes / [442] for which thus seith dauid the prophete ¶ Wikked[rat or mouse gnawings .. be .. t ..... told ..... the Nor ..... on ....... est neuer ... reped a noure ..]rld of [in a third hand] deth / mote come vp on thilke lordshipes / and god yeue / þat they mote descende in to helle adown / adown / for in hire houses / been Iniquitees & shrewednesses / and nat god of heuene / [443] and certes / but if they doon amende|ment/ right so as god yaf his benyson to Pharao by the seruyce of Iacob / & to Laban by the seruyce of Ioseph / right so / god wol yeue his malison to swiche lordshipes / as sustenen the wikkednesse of hire seruantz / but they come to amendement [444] pride of the table apeereþ[Pride] of the table. eek ful ofte / for certes riche men ben clepid to festes / and pouere folk ben put awey & rebuked / [445] ¶ Also in exces / of diuerse metes & drynkes / and namely[Exces]se of mete swiche manere bake metes & disshmetes brennynge of wilde fyr & peynted & castelled with papir / & semblable wast / so þat it is abusion for to thynke ‖ [446] And eek in to gret preciousnesse of vessel / & curiositee of Mynstralcie / by whiche / a man is stired the moore / to delices of luxure [447] ¶ If so be þat he sette his herte the lasse / vp on oure lord Ihu crist certeyn it is a synne / & certeynly the delices / myghte ben so greteAnd yf thou wyest what thyng yt were Coneng to lerne [in a third hand] in the cas / þat man myghte lightly fallen by hem in to dedly synne / [448] ¶ The especes that sourdren of pride / soothly whan they sourden of malice ymagyned & auysed / & forncast or ellis of vsage / ben dedly synnes / it is no doute / [449] and whan they sourde by freletee / vn|auysed sodeynly / & sodeynly / withdrawe agayn / al be they greuouse synnes / I gesse / that they ne be nat dedly [450] ¶ Now myghte men axe / wher of þat pryde[Whe]r of cometh pryde. sourdeth & spryngeth / And I seye som tyme it spryngeth of the goodes of nature / and somtyme of the goodes of fortune / & som tyme / of the goodes of grace / [451] ¶ Certes the goodes of nature / stonden outher in goodes of body / or goodes of soule ‖ [452][g]oodes of body Certes / goodes of body / ben heele of body / strengthe / delyuernesse / beautee / genterie / franchise [453] ¶ goodes of nature of the soule ben good wit[good]es of the soule. sharpe vnderstondynge / subtil engyn / vertu naturel / good memorie [454] ¶ goodes of fortune / ben richesses /[good]es of fortune. hey degrees of lordshipes / preisynges of the peple [455] ¶ goodes of grace / ben Science / power to suffre spiritual trauaille / benygnytee / vertuous contemplacion / withstondynge of temptacion ¶ and semblable thynges / [456] of whiche forseyde goodes / certes it is a ful gret folie a man to pryden hym in any of hem alle / [457] ¶ Now as for to speke of goodes of nature / god woot þat som tyme we han hem in nature / as muche to oure damage / as to oure profit [458] ¶ As for to speke of heele of body / certes it passeth ful lightly / & eek it is ful ofte encheson / of the siknesse of the soule / for god woot the flessh is a ful greet enemy to the soule / and therfore / the moore þat the body is hool / the moore be we in peril to falle ‖ [459] Eke for to pryde hym in hys strengthe of body / it is an heigh folye / for certes / the flessh coueiteth agayn the spirit / & ay the moore strong þat the flessh is / the sorier may the soule be / [460] and ouer al this / Strengthe of body & worldly hardynesse / causeth ful ofte many man / to peril & meschance ‖ [461] Eke / for to pryde hym of his genterye / is ful gret folie / for ofte tyme / the genterie of the body / bynymeth the genterie of the soule / & eek / we ben alle / of .o. fader & of o moder / & alle we ben of o nature roten / and corrupt bothe riche & pouere / [462] for sothe / o manere gentilrye / is for to preise / that apparayleth mannes corage with vertues / & moralitees / & maketh hym cristes child / [463] for truste wel / þat ouer what man þat synne hath maistrye / he is verray cherl to synne

[464] ¶ Now / ben ther general signes of gentilesse / as eschewynge of vice / or rybaudye & seruage of synne / in word / in werk / and contenance / [465] & vsynge vertu / curteisye / & clennesse / & to be liberal / that is to seyn / large by mesure / for thilke that passeth mesure / is folye & synne ‖ [466] Another is / to remembre hym of bounte / þat he of oother folk hath receyued ‖ [467] Another is / to ben benygne / to hise goode subgetz / wher fore as seith Senek ther is no thyng moore couenable to a man of heigh estat/ than debonairetee & pitee / [468] and therfore thise flyes / þat mennota clepe bees / whan they maken hire kyng they chesen oon þat hath no prikke / wher with he may stynge ‖ [469] Another is / a man to haue a noble herte & a diligent to attayne to hye vertuouse thynges [470* see after 474 & Pet.. . . . .no gap in the MS. [471] Certes also / who þat prydeth hym in the goodes of fortune / he is a ful gret fool / for som tyme / is a man a gret lord by the morwe / þat is a kaytif & a wrecche / er it be nyght [472] and som tyme / the richesse of a man is cause of his deeth / somtyme the delices of a man / ben cause of the greuous maladie / thurgh which he dyeth ‖ [473] Certes / the commendacion of the peple / is som tyme ful fals / & ful brotil for to triste / this day they preise / to morwe they blame / [474] god woot desir to haue the commendacion eek of peple / hath caused deth / to many a bisy man [*470] ¶ Now certes a man to pride hym in the goodes of grace / is eek an outrageous folye / for thilke yiftes of grace / that sholde haue turned hym to goodnesse and to medicine turneth hym to venym & to confusion / as seyth Seint Gregorie. [475] ¶ Now sith þat so is / þat ye han vnderstonde / what is pryde / & whiche ben the speces of it / & whennes pryde sourdeth & spryngeth ‖

[476] Now shul ye vnderstonde / which is the remedie agayns pride / and that is humylitee / or mekenesse / [477] that is a vertu / thurgh which / a man hath verray knoweleche of hym self / & holdeth of hym self/ no pris ne deyntee / as in regard of hise desertes / considerynge euere his freletee [478] ¶ Now ben ther .iij.[iij] maners of humilite maneres of humylitee / As humylitee in herte ¶ Another humylitee / is in Mouth ¶ the thridde in hise werkes [479] ¶ The humylitee in herte / is in .iiij. maneres ¶ that oon is / whan a man holdeth hym self as naught worth / biforn god of heuene ‖ Another is / whan he ne despiseth noon other man [480] ¶ the thridde is / whan he ne rekketh nat thogh men holde hym noght worth ‖ the ferthe is / whan he nys nat sory of his humyliacion [481] ¶ Also the humylitee of Mouth / is in .iiij. thynges ¶ In Atempree speche ¶ and in humblesse of speche ‖ And whan he biknoweth with his owene Mouth / þat he is swich / as hym thynketh þat he is in his herte ¶ Another is whan he preiseth the bountee of another man / and nothyng ther of amenuseth [482] ¶ Humylitee eek in werk is in .iiij. maneres ‖ the firste / is whan he putteth othere men biforn hym ¶ the seconde is / to chese the loweste place ouer al ‖ The thridde is / gladly to assente to good conseil ‖ [483] the ferthe is / gladly to stonde to the award of his souereyn / or of hym / þat is hyer in degree / certeyn / this is a gret werk of humylitee

 . ¶ Inuidia.

[484] After pryde / wol I speke / of the foule synne of Enuye / which þat is / as by the word of the philosophre Sorwe of oother mannes prosperitee / and after the word of Seint Augustyn / it is sorwe of oother mennes wele / and ioye of oother mennes harm [485] ¶ This foule synne / is platly agayns the holy goost al be it so þat euery synne / is agayn the holy goost yet nathelees for as muche as bountee aperteneth proprely to holy goost & enuye cometh proprely of malice / ther fore is proprely agayns the bountee of the holy goost [486] ¶ Now hath malice .ij. speces / that is to seyn / hardnesse of herte in wikkednesse / or ellis the flessh of a man is so blynd þat he considereth nat þat he is in synne / or rekketh nat þat he is in synne / which is / the hardnesse of the deuel [487] ¶ That other spece of Enuye / is whan þat a man werreyeth trouthe / whan he woot þat it is trouthe / & eek whan he werreyeth / the grace þat god hath yeue to his neighebore / & al this / is by enuye / [488] Certes / thanne is enuye / the worste synne þat is / for soothly / alle othere synnes / ben som tyme / agayns o special vertu / [489] but certes / enuye is agayns alle vertues / & agayns alle goodnesses / for it is sory of alle the bountees of his neighebore / & in this manere / it is dyuers from alle othere synnes / [490] for wel vnnethe / is ther any synne / þat it ne hath / som delit in hym self / saue oonly enuye / þat euere hath in hym self / angwissh & sorwe [491] ¶ The speces of Enuye ben thise ¶ Ther isThe speces of E[nuye]. first sorwe of oother mennes goodnesse and of hire pros|peritee / and prosperitee / is kyndely matere of Ioye / thanne is Enuye / a synne agayns kynde [492] ¶ The seconde spece of Enuye / is Ioye of oother mannes harm / and that is proprely lyk to the deuel that euere reioyseth hym of mannes harm [493] ¶ Of thise .ij. speces comthBakbitynge bakbitynge / and this synne of bakbitynge / or detraccion / hath certeyn speces / as thus ‖ Som man preiseth his neighebore / by a wikked entente / [494] for he maketh alwey a wikked knotte atte laste ende / alwey he maketh a .but. at the laste ende / þat is digne of moore blame / than worth is al the preisynge [495] ¶ The Seconde spece is / þat if a man be good / & dooth / or seith a thyng to good entente / the bakbitere wol turne al thilke goodnesse vp so down / to his shrewede entente [496] ¶ The thridde / is to amenuse / the bountee of his neighe|bore [497] ¶ The ferthe spece of bakbitynge / is this ‖ that if men speke goodnesse of a man / thanne wol the bakbitere seyn / par fey / swich a man / is yet bet than he in despreisynge / of hym þat men preise [498] ¶ The fifthe spece is / for to consente gladly / and herkne gladly / the harm þat men speke of oother folk / this synne is ful greet & ay encreseth / after the wikked entente of the bakbitere [499] ¶ After bakbitynge comth grucchynge or Murmuracion / and som tyme / it spryngethGrucchynge. of Inpacience agayns god / & som tyme agayns man [500] ¶ Agayns god is it whan a man gruccheth agayn the pyne of helle / or agayns pouerte / or los of catel / or agayn reyn / or tempest or ellis gruccheth / þat shrewes han prosperitee / or ellis / for þat goode men han ad|uersitee / [501] and alle thise thynges / sholde men suffre paciently / for they comen by the rightful Iugement & ordinance of god [502] ¶ Som tyme / cometh grucchynge of Auarice / as Iudas grucched agayns the Magdeleyne / whan she enoynte the heued of oure lord Ihu crist with hire precious oynement ‖ [503] this manere of murmure is swich as whan men grucchen of goodnesses þat hem selue doon or þat othere folk doon / of hire owene catel [504] ¶ Som tyme comth Murmure of pryde / as whan Symon the pharisee / grucched agayn the Magdeleyne / whan she approched to Ihu crist & weepe at his feet for hire synnes ‖ [505] And som tyme / it sourdeth of Enuye / whan men discoueren a mannes harm þat was pryuee / or bereth hym on hand thyng þat is fals / [506] ¶ Murmur eek is ofte amonges seruantz / þat grucchen / whan hire souereyns bidden hem to doon leueful thynges / [507] and for as muche as they dar nat openly with seye the comandementz of hire souereyns / yet wol they seyn harm & grucche & murmure pryuely for verray despit/ [508] whyche wordes / men clepe the deueles pater noster / though so be / þat the deuel ne hadde neuere pater noster/ but þat lewed folk / yeuen it swich a name [509] ¶ Som tyme it comth of Ire / or pryuee hate / þat norisseth rancour in herte / as afterward I shal declare [510] ¶ Thanne comth eek bitternesse of[Bitt]ernesse. herte / thurgh which bitternesse / euery good dede of his neighebore semeth to hym bitter/ and vnsauoury [511] ¶ Thanne comth discord / þat vnbyndeth alle manere[Dis]corde. of frendshipe ¶ Thanne comth scornynge of [Sco]rnynge. . . . .no gap in the MS. his neighe|bore al do he neuer so wel [512] ¶ Thanne comth accusynge / as whan man seketh occasion to anoyen his[Ac]cusinge neighebore / which þat is lyk the craft of the deuel / þat wayteth bothe nyght & day to accusen vs alle / [513] ¶ Thanne comth Malignitee / thurgh which a man[M]alignite. anoyeth his neighebore pryuely if he may / [514] and if he nat ne may / algate / his wikked wil ne shal nat wante / as for to brennen his hous pryuely / or enpoysone / or sleen hise bestes & semblable thynges /

 [The Remedy against Envy.(No break in MS.)]

[515] ¶ Now wol I speken of the remedye agayns this fouleremedies for enuie. synne of Enuye ¶ first is the loue of god principal / and louynge of hym self / & of his neighebore / for soothly / that oon ne may nat ben with outhen that oother / [516] and truste wel / þat in the name of thy neighebore / thow shalt vnderstonde / the name of thy brother / for certes / alle we haue o fader flesshly & o moder / that is to seyn Adam and Eue / & eek o fader spirituel / that is god of heuene / [517] thy neighebore artow holden for to loue & wilne hym alle goodnesse / and ther fore seith god / loue thy neighebore as thy self / that is to seyn / to sauacion / bothe of lyf/ and soule / [518] & moore ouer / thow shalt loue hym in word / & benygne amonestynge / & chastisynge / & conforte hym / in hise anoyes & preye for hym with al thyn herte ‖ [519] And in dede / thow shalt loue hym in swich wise / þat thow shalt doon to hym in charitee / as thow woldest þat were doon to thyn owene persone / [520] and therfore / thow ne shalt doon hym no damage in wikked word / ne harm in his body / ne in his catel / ne in his soule by entisynge of wikked ensample [521] ¶ Thow shalt nat eek/ desiren his wyf ne none of hyse thynges ¶ Vnderstoond eek þat in the name of neighebore / is com|prehended his enemy / [522] certes man shal loue his enemy for the comandement of god / and soothly / thy freend shaltow loue in god ‖ [523] I seye / thyn enemy shaltow loue for goddes sake / by his comande|ment / for if it were reson / þat man sholde hate his enemy / for sothe / god nolde nat receyuen vs to his loue þat ben hise enemys / [524] ¶ Agayns .iij. manere of wronges þat his enemy dooth to hym / he shal doon .iij. thynges / as thus / [525] ‖ Agayns hate & rancour of herte / he shal loue hym in herte / ‖ Agayns chidynge & wikked wordes / he shal preye for his enemy ‖ Agayns the wikked dede of his enemy / he shal doon hym bountee / [526] for crist seith / loueth youre enemys / & preieth for hem / þat speke yow harm / & eek for hem / þat yow chacen and pursuen / and dooth bountee / to hem þat yow haten ¶ Lo thus comandeth vs oure lord Ihu crist to do to oure enemys / [527] for soothly / nature dryueth vs to louen oure frendes / & parfey oure enemys / han moore nede to loue / than oure frendes / & they þat moore nede haue / certes to hem shal men doon good|nesse / [528] and certes in thilke dede haue we remem|brance of the loue of Ihu crist þat deyde for hise enemys / [529] and in as muche as thilke loue is the moore greuous to parfourne / so muche is the moore gret the merite / and therfore the louynge of of oure enemy / hath confounded the venym of the deuel / [530] for right / as the deuel is desconfited by humylitee / right so is he wownded to the deth / by the loue of oure enemy / [531] certes thanne is loue the medicyne þat chaceth out the venym of enuye fro mannes herte [532] the speces of this pas shullen ben moore largely declared / in hire chapitres folwynge

 ¶ Ira

[533] After Enuye / wol I discryuen the synne of Ire / for soothly / who so þat hath enuye vp on his neighebore anon he wole communely fynde hym matere of wraththe / in word or in dede / agayns hym / to whom he hath enuye / [534] and as wel / comth Ire of pride / as of enuye / for soothly / he þat is proud or enuyous / is lightly wroth

[535] ¶ This synne of Ire / after the discryuyng of Seint Augustyn / is wikked wil to ben auenged / by word / or by dede [536] ¶ Ire after the philosophre / is the feruent blood of man / yquyked in his herte / thurgh which / he wole harm / to hym þat he hateth / [537] for certes the herte of man / by eschawfynge & moeuynge of his blood / wexeth so trouble / þat he is out of alle Iugement of reson // [538] But ye shal vnderstonde / þat Ire is in two maneres ‖ that oon of hem is good & that oother is wikke ‖ [539] the goode Ire is / by Ialowsie of goodnesse / thurgh which / a man is wrooth with wikkednesse & agayns wikkednesse / and ther|fore seith a wys / that Ire is bet than pley ‖ [540] this Ire is with debonairetee / & it is wroth with oute bitternesse / nat wroth agayns the man / but wroth / with the mysdede of the man / as seith the prophete Dauid ¶ Irascimini & nolite peccare [541] ¶ Now vnderstondeth / þat wikked Ire / is in .ij. maneres ‖ that is to seyn / sodeyn Ire or hastif Ire with oute auysement & consentynge of his reson / [542] the Menyng & the sens of this is / þat the reson of a man ne con|sente nat to thilke sodeyn Ire / and thanne is it venyal ‖ [543] Another Ire / is ful wikked / þat comth of felonye of herte auysed / & cast bifore with wikked wil to do vengeance / & ther to his reson consenteth / and soothly / this is dedly synne [544] ¶ this Ire / is so dis|plesant to god / þat it troubleth his hous / & chaceth the holy goost out of mannes soule / and wasteth & de|stroyeth the liknesse of god / that is to seyn / the vertu / þat is in mannes soule / [545] & put in hym / the lik|nesse of the deuel / & bynymeth the man fro god / þat is his rightful lord ‖ [546] this Ire / is a ful gret plesance to the deuel / for it is the deueles forneys / þat is eschawfed with the fyr of helle / [547] for certes / right so as fyr is moore myghty to destroye erthely thynges / than another Element; right so Ire is myghty / to destroye alle spirituel thynges ‖ [548] Looke / how þat fyr of smale gleedes / þat ben almoost dede vnder the Asshen wolen quyke agayn / whan they ben touched with brymston; right so / Ire wole euere mo quyke agayn / whan it is touched by the pryde þat is couered in mannes herte / [549] for certes / fyr ne may nat come out of no thyng but if it were first in the same thyng naturelly / as fyr is drawen out of flyntes with Steel / [550] and right so / as pryde is ofte tyme matere of Ire right so is rancour norice & kepere of Ire [551] ¶ Ther is a manere tree 1as seith Seint ysidre1[1_1 Catchwords. The rest of the Hengwrt MS. is gone.] [that whan men maken fuyr of thilke tree / & couere the coles of it with asshen soothly the fuyr of it wole lasten alle a yere or more / [552] And right so fareth it of rancour whan it is ones receyued in the hertes of somme men; certeyn it wole lasten parauenture. from oon Ester Day vnto anoþer Ester day & more / [553] But certes thilke man is ful fer fro the mercy of god alle thilke while //

[554] In this forseide deuels forneys. ther forgen .iij. shrewys. Pride. that ay bloweth & encresith the fuyr by chidynge & wikked wordes // [555] Thanne stante enuye. and holdeth the hote Iren vpon the herte of man wit a peyre of longe tonges of longe rancour / [556] Thanne stant the synne of Contumelie. or strife & chest/ & batereth & forgith by vileyns repreuynges [557] Certes this cursed synne anoyeth bothe to the man hym selfe. & eeke to his neighebore. For soothly almoste al the harme that a man doth to his neighebore cometh of wrath / [558] For certez outrageous wrath dooth al that euer the deuel hym commaundeth / For he ne spareth neyther criste ne his moder / [559] And in his out|ragreous anger and Ire. allas ful many oon at that tyme felith in his herte ful wikkedly bothe of criste & eke his halewys. [560] Is nat thys a cursed vice; yis certes allas. It bynemeth from man his witte & his reson & alle his debonaire lyfe spirituel. that shulden kepe his soule // [561] Certes yt bynemeth eke goddis dewe lordeshipe / and that is mannes soule. and the loue of his neighebores // It stryueth eke alday agayn treuthe. It reueth hym the quiete of his herte. & subuerteth his soule //

[562] Of [I]re comen these stynkynge engendrures / Fir[s]te hate. that is oldee wrath / discorde thurgh whiche a man forsaketh . his olde frendee full longe / [563] And thanne cometh werre & euery maner of wronge that man doth to his neighebore in body or in catel ‖ [564] Of this cursedde synne of Ire cometh eke manslaughter / And vndirstonde wele that homycyde that is manslaughter. is in diuerse wise. Som maner of homycyde is spirituel. & som is bodely. [565] Spirituel manslaughtre is [i]n .vj. thynges. First by hate. as seyth seint Iohn that he that hateth his brother is homycyde // [566] homycyde is eke by bakbytynge / of whiche bakbiteris seith Salomon / that they han .ij. swerdes with wiche they sleen hire neighbores. For sootly as wikke is. to by nyme hym his good name / as his lyfe // [567] homycide is eke. in yeuynge of wikked counseile 1by fraude / or for to yeue counseile1[1_1 repeated in MS.] / to arreyse wrongeful custumes & tailages. [568] of whiche seith seint Salomon / leon rorynge & bere hungry ben lyke to the Cruel lordshipes in with holdynge or abreggynge of the shipe. or the hire. or of ye wages of seruauntes / or ellys in vsure. orin withdrawynge / of the Almesse of the pouere folke. [569] For whiche the wise man seith. Fedith hym. that almoost dieth for hunger / For sothly. but if thow fede hym. thow sleyst him // And alle these ben deedly synnes // [570] Bodely manslaughter is. whan thow sleyst hym with thy tunge // In other manere. as whan thow commaundest to slen a man or ellys yeuest hym counseile to slen a man // [571] Man slaughter in dede; is in .iiij. maners / That oon is by lawe Right as a Iustice dampneth hym that is coupable to the deeth But late the Iustice be ware that he do it rightfully / And that he do it nat for delyte to spille blood / but for kepynge of riȝtwys|nesse // [572] A nother homycyde is doon for necessite. as whan a man sleith a nother in his defendaunt. & that he ne may noon other wise escape from his owne deeth / [573] But certeynly. if he may escape with|oute slaughter of his aduersarie and sleeth hym; he dooth synne & he shall bere penaunce as for deedly synne // [574] Eke if a man by caas or aventure shete an arwe or caste a stoon with whiche he sleith a man; he is homycyde // [575] Eke if a woman by necligence ouerlyth hire childe in hire slepynge. it is homycyde & deedly synne // [576] Eke whan man destorbeth con|cepcion of a childe / & maketh a woman other barayne by drynkynge venemous drynkes. thurgh whiche she may nat conceyue / Or sleeth a childe by drynkes or ellys putteth certeyn material thynges in hire secre places to slee the childe [577] or ellys doth vnkyndely synne. by whiche man or woman shedeth hir nature in manere or in place ther as a childe may nat be con|ceyued Or ellys if a woman hath nat conceyued / & hurte hire selfe & sleth the childe / yet is it homycyde // [578] what sey we eke of wymmen that mordren hire children for drede of wordely shame. Certes an horrible homycyde //. [579] homycyde is eke if a man ap|procheth to a woman be desire of lecherie thurgh whiche the childe is perisshed or ellys smyteth a woman wityngly thurgh whiche she leseth hire childe / Alle these ben homy|cydes. and horrible dedly synnes // [580] yet comen ther of Ire many mo synnes as wele in worde. as in thought And in dede / as he that arettith vpon god. or blameth god of thynge of whiche he is hym selfe gylty. or dispisith god. & alle hise halewis as doon these cursed hasardours in dyuers cuntres / [581] This curside synne doon they whan they felen in hire herte / ful wikedly of god and hise halewes // [582] Also whan they treten. vnreuerently the sacrement of the holy auter thilke synne is so greet that vnnethe may it ben relessed. but that the mercy of god passeth alle his werkys it is so grete & he so benynge // [583] Than cometh of Ire attry answer / whan a man is sharply a-monested in his shrifte / to for|lete synnee [584] thanne wole he be Angry & answere hokrely / And angrely or deffende or excusen his synne by vn-stedefastnesse of fleisshe / or ellys he dide it for to holde companye with hise felawys / or ellys he seith the fende entyced hym / [585] or ellys he dyde it for his youthe. or ellys his complexioun. is so corageous that he may nat forbere / or ellys it ys his destyne as he seith / vnto a certeyn age or ellys he seith it comyth hym of gentilesse of his Auncestres. & semblable thynges [586] Alle these manere of folke so wrappen hem in hire synnes that they ne wole nat delyuere hem selfe / for soothly no wight that excuseth hem selfe wilfully of hys synne. may nat be delyuered of his synne til that he mekely byknoweth his synne // [587] Aftir this than cometh sweryng that is expresse agayn the commaundement of god/ And this byfalleth ofte of Angir & of Ire / [588] God seith. thow shalt nat take the name of thy lorde god in veyn. or in ydel / Also oure lord criste seith by the worde of seint Mathewe Mathee 5to. Nolite iurare omnino. [589] Ne wolde ye nat swere in alle manere. neither by heuene; For it is goddis trone / Ne by erthe; For it is the benche of his feet; Ne by Ierusalem; for it is the Cite of a grete kynge. Ne be thyn heed; For thow maist nat make an here white ne blake. [590] But seyth by youre word ye ye; and nay nay. And what that is more it is of yuel. thus seyst crist/ [591] For cristes sake ne swerith nat so synfully in dismembrynge of Criste by soule / herte / bones / & body / For certes it semeth / that cursed Iewis ne dismembred nat ynow the precious persone of criste. but ye dismembre hym more. [592] And if so be that the lawe com|pelle yow to swere; than rewle yow aftir the lawe of god in youre swerynge. as seith Jeromye .4to. co. Iurabis/ in uerita in iudicio & in iusticia. Thow shalt kepe .iij. condicions. Thow shalt swere in trouthe In doom. and in rightwysnesse. [593] This is to seyn / Thow shalt swere soth / For euery lesynge is agayns criste / For crist is verrey trouthe / And thynke wele thys. that euery grete swerer nat compelled lawefully to swere; the wounde shal nat departe /from his hous. while he vseth swiche vnlefull swerynge / [594] Thow shalt swere eke in doom. whan thow art constreyned by thy domes|man to witnesse the treuthe ‖ [595] Eke thow shalt nat swere for enuye / ne for fauour / ne for mede; but for rightwysnesse for declaracioun of it. to worshepe of god/ and helpynge of thyn euen cristen / [596] And therfore euery man that taketh goddis name en ydel / or falsly swereth for his mouth or ellys taketh on hym the name of crist to be called a cristen man / and lyuyth agayns cristes lyuynge & his techynge / alle they taken goddes name in ydel // [597] looke eke what seith seint Petir Actuum. 4to. Non est aliud nomen sub celo. Ther is noon other name seith seint Petir vnder heuen yeuen to men in whiche they mowe be saued. that is to seyn. but in the name of Ihesu criste / [598] Take kepe eeke. how that the precious name of criste as seith seint Poule Ad Philipenses .2. In nomine ihesu &c that in the name of ihesu euery knee of heuenly creatures / or erthely / or of helle; sholde bowe / For it is so holy & so worshepfull that the cursed feend in helle sholde tremblen to here it nempned // [599] Than semeth it. that men that sweren so horribly / by hys blessed name / that they despice it more boldely. than dide the cursed iewys / or ellys the Deuel that trembleth whan he hereth his name //

[600] Now certis sith that swerynge. but if it be lawefully doon. is so hily deffended / myche worse is for swerynge falsely & yet needles //

[601] what seye we eke of hem that Delyte hem in swerynge or holden it a gentire or a manly dede to swere grete othes // And what of hem that of verray vsage. ne cesse nat to swere grete oothes / al be the cause nat woorth a straugh / certis this is horrible synne // [602] . . . . .no gap in the MS. [603] But late vs goo now to thilke horrible sweryng of adiuracioun & coniuracioun / As doon these fals en|chaunteour. or Nygromanciens in bacyns full of water. or in a bright swerde in a sercle or in a fuyr. or in the sholder boon of a sheepe / [604] I kan natte seyn / but that they doon cursedly & dampnably agayns criste and alle the feith of holy chirche //

[605] what sey we of hem. that by-leeuen on dyuynayles / as by flyght or by noyse of bryddes or of beestes / or by sort. // By geomancye / by dremes / by chirkynge of houses/ by gnawynge of rattes. & whiche manere wrecchednesse [606] certes all this thynke is defended by god & holichirche / For whiche they accursed til they come to amendement. that on swiche filthe setten here byleue // [607] Charmes for woundes or maladie of men / or of bestes / if they taken any effecte. it may be parauenture that god suffreth it. for folke sholde yeue the more feith & reuerence to his name //

[608] Now wole I speke of lesynges / whiche gener|ally / is fals signifiaunce of worde in entente to desceyuen his euen cristene // [609] Som lesynge is of whiche there cometh noon auauntage to no wight And som lesynge turneth to ye ease or profite of a man / And to damage of a nother man [610] // Another lesynge for to sauen his lyfe or his catel comyth of delyte for to lye / in whiche delyte they wille forge a longe tale & peynte it with alle circumstaunces. where alle the grounde of the tale is fals // [611] Som lesynge cometh for he wole sustene his worde Som lesynge cometh of rechelnesse / wit outen avisement and sem|blable thynges //

[612] late vs now touche the vice of Flatering whiche ne cometh nat gladly but for drede. or for couetise // [613] Flaterie is generally wrongfull preysynge // Flater|ies ben the deuels norices / that norissen hise children. with Melke of losengerie / [614] For sothe. Salomon seith. that flaterie is wors than detraccioun For somtyme de|traccion maketh an hauteyn man be the More humble / for he dredeth detraccion // But certes flaterie that maketh a man to enhaunsen his herte & his countenaunce // [615] Flaterers ben the deuels enchauntours. For they make a man to wene of hym selfe by lyke that he is nat lyke. / [616] They ben lyke Iudas that bytraised. . . . .no gap in the MS. a man to selle hym to his ennemye. that is the deuels // [617] Flaterers ben the deuels Chapeleyns that syngen euer placebo. [618] I rekene flaterers in the vices of Ire / for ofte tyme. if oo man be wrooth with a nother / than wole he flatere som wight to sustene hym in his quarelle //

[619] Speke we now of swiche cursynge / as comyth of Irous herte / Malysoun generally may be seyd euery maner power of harme swiche cursynge 2byreueth man fro the reigne of god / As seith seint Poule // [620] And of|tyme swiche cursynge2_3 wrongly repeated in MS., after3 wrongfully retorneth agayn to hym that curseth. as a brid retorneth agayn to his owne neste / [621] and ouer alle thynges men ought to eschewe to cursen hire children / & yeuen to the deuel here engendrure / as ferforth as in hem is / certes it is grete perille & grete synne //

[622] late vs thanne speke of chidynge & reproches whiche ben full grete woundes in mannes herte. For they vnsowen the semes of Frendeshippe in mannes herte. [623] For certes vnnethes may a man ben accorded with hym that hath hym opynly reuyled & repryued. & desclaundred This is a full grymly synne as criste seith in the gospel / [624] And take kepe now. that he that repreueth his neighebore / outher he repreueth hym by som harme of peyne that he hath on his body / as Mesel Croked harlote. or be som synne that he doth // [625] Now if he repreue hym by harme of peyne; than turneth the repref to Ihesu Criste for peyne is sente by the rightwis sonde of god / And by his suffraunce / be it Meselrie. or Mayme or Maladie // [626] And if he repreue hym vncharitably of synne / as thowe dronke|lewe harlot & so forth // thanne aperteyneth that to the reioysynge of the deuel / that euer hath ioy that men don synne / [627] And certes chidynge may nat come but out of a vyleyns herte. For after the habundaunce of the herte; speketh the mouth full ofte [628] And ye shulle vndirstonde / that loke by any way. whan any man shall chastice a nother. that he be ware. from chydynge or repreuynge For trewly but if he be ware; he may full lyghtly quyken the fuyr of angre & of wrath whiche that he sholde quenche & parauenture sleeth hym that he myght chastice with benyg|nyte[629] For as seith seint Salomon. The Amiable tunge is the tree of lyfe that is to seyn. of lyfe espirituel / and soothly a deslaue tunge sleeth the spirites of hym that repreueth / and eke of hym that is repreued / [630] lo what seyth seint Augustyn / ther is no thynge so lyke ye deuels childe. As he that ofte chideth Seint Poule seith eeke I seruaunt of god / byhoueth nat to chide. [631] And how that chidynge be a veleyns thynge bytwixe alle maner folke. yet is it certes moste vncouenable bitwixe a man & his wyfe. For ther is neuer reste And therfore seith Salomon / An hous that is vnkouered. & droppynge / & a chidynge wyfe. ben lyke / [632] A man that is in a droppynge hous in many places. thow he eschewe the droppynge in oo place. it droppeth on hym in a nother place // So fareth it by a chydynge wyfe. but she chide hym in oo place / she wole chide hym in a nother // [633] And therfore bettre is a morsel of brede with ioye than an housfull of delices with chidyngee seith Salomon // [634] Seynt Poule seith. o ye / women be ye subiettez to youre housbondes / as byhoueth in god. And ye men / loueth youre wyfes. Ad Colonisenses 3o. //

[635] Aftirwarde speke we of scornynge. whiche is a wikked synne. And namely whan he scorneth a man / for hise goode werkys / [636] For certes swiche scorneris faren lyke the foule tode that may nat endure to smelle the swote sauour of the vyne whan it floresseth. [637] These scorners ben partynge felawes with the deuel For they han ioye. whan the deuel wynneth. & sorwe whan he leseth. [638] For they ben aduersaries of Ihesu criste. For they haten that he loueth that is to seyn sauacion of soule /

[639] Speke we now. of wikked counseille / For he that wikked counseille yeueth is a traitour For he deceyueth hym that trusteth in hym. Vt Achitofel ad Absolonem. But natheles. yet is his wikked counseille / furste agayns hym selfe. [640] For as seith the wise man. euery fals lyuynge hathe his proprete in hym selfe that he that wole anoye another man he Anoieth firste hym selfe / [641] And men shulle vndirstonde that man shalle nat take his counseile of fals folke ne of Angry folke or greuous folke that louen specially to myche hire owne profite ne to moche wordly folke / namely in counseillynge of soules //

[642] Now comt the synne of hem that sowen & maken discorde amonges folke whiche is a synne that crist hateth outrely // And no wonder ys for he deyde for to make concorde / [643] And more shame done they to criste than dide they that hym crucyfied/ For god loueth bettre that frendshepe be amonge folke than he dide hys owne body whiche that he yaf for vnyte. therfore ben they lykned to the deuel / that euer is aboute to make discorde //

[644] Now cometh thee synne of dowble tonge. swiche as speken faire byforn folke and wikkedly byhynde / or elles they maken semblaunt as thoughe they speke of good entencioun. or ellys in game & pley & yette they speke of wikked entente //

[645] Now cometh bywreyng of counseille thurgh whiche a man is defamed/ certes vnneth may he restore the damage //

[646] Now comyth Manace that is an open foly./ For he that often manaceth he threteth more. than he may performe ful ofte tyme //

[647] Nowe cometh ydel wordes that is with oute profite of hym that speketh thoo wordes. . . . .no gap in the MS. Or elles ydel wordes ben thoo that ben neodelees or with outen entente of naturel profite [648] And alle be it that ydel wordes ben som|tyme venial synne; yet sholde men doute hem. for we shulle yeue rekenynge of hem byfore god //

[649] Now cometh Ianglynge; that may nat ben with|oute synne. And as seith Salomon. it is a signe of a-perte folye / [650] And therfore A Philosphre seyde whan men asked hym. how that men sholdee please the people / And he answerde / Doo many good werkys and spek fewe Iangles //

[651] After this cometh the synne of Iaperis. that ben the deuels Apes / For they make folke to laughen at hire Iaperie as men doon at the gaudes of an ape / Swiche iapes defendith seint Poul [652] loke how that vertuous wordes & holy conforten hem that trauaillen in the seruyse of criste; so conforten the vileyns wordes & knakkys of Iaperis hem that trauaillen in the seruice of the deuel / [653] These ben the synnes that comen of the tonge. that comen of Iro & of other synnes moo

 Remedium contra iram.

[654] The Remedie agayns Ire is a vertue that men clepen Mansuetude / that is debonairete And eke another vertue that men calleth pacience / or suffrance /

[655] debonairete withdrawith & refreyneth the sterynges & the meouynges of mannes corage in his herte in swiche manere/ that they ne skippe nat oute by angre ne by Ire. [656] Suffraunce suffrith swetely alle the Anoyaunces & the wronges that men doon to man outwarde [657] Seint Ierome seith thus of debonairete that it dooth noon harme to no wight ne seith ne for non harme that men doon ne seyn. he ne eschawfeth nat agayns his reson // [658] This vertue somtyme cometh of nature. /For as seith the Philosophre / A man is a quykke thynge by nature debonaire & tretable to goodnesse // But whan debonairete is enformed of grace than is it the more worth //

[659] Pacience that is a nother remedie agayns Ire is a vertue that suffereth swetely euery mannes godenesse / & nat wrooth for noon harme that is doon to hym // [660] The Philosophre seith that pacience is thilke vertue that suffreth debonairly alle the outrages of aduersite. & euery wikked worde // [661] This vertue maketh a man lyke to god & makyth hym his owne dere childe as seith criste / This vertue discomfiteth thyn enemy And therfore seith the wyseman / If thow wolte venquysshe thin enemy. lerne for to suffre / [662] And thow shalte vndirstonde that man suffreth .iiij. manere of greuauncez & outward thinges/ agayns the whiche .iiij. he mote haue .iiij. manere of paciences /

[663] The firste greuaunce is of wikked wordes. thilke suffred Ihesu criste with outen grucchynge full paciently whan the iewes despised hym & repreued hym full ofte / [664] Suffre thow therfore paciently / For the wise man seith. If thow stryue with a fool. though the fool be wrooth or thow he laugh / Algate thow shalte haue no reste [665] // That other greuaunce outwarde is to haue damage of thy catel / Ther agayns suffrid criste full paciently whan he was dispoilled of alle that he hadde in this lyfe / And that nas but of his clothes [666] // The thrid greuaunce is a man to haue harme in his body that suffred criste ful paciently in alle his passion [667] // The ferthe greuaunce is in outrageous labour in werkys wherfore I sey that folke that maken hire seruauntez to trauaillen to greuously / or oute of tyme / as on halidaies; soothly they don grete synne // [668] here agayns suffred criste full paciently and taught vs pacience. whan he bare vppon his blyssed sholdre the croys / vpon whiche he shulde suffre dispitous deth // [669] here may men lerne to be pacient. For nat oonly cristen men ben pacient for loue of Ihesu criste & for gerdon of the blysfull lyfe that is pardurable // But certes the olde payens that neuer were cristene. commenden & vseden the vertue of pacience

[670] A Philosophre vpon a tyme that wolde haue beten his disciple for his grete trespas For whiche he was gretly amoeued. and broughte a yerde to scourge the childe / [671] And whan the childe saugh the yerde he seide to his maister. . . . .no gap in the MS. for thy correccioun. [672] For sothe quod the childe / ye oughte firste correcte youre selfe that han loste al youre pacience / for the gilte of a childe / [673] Forsoth quod the maister al wepynge; thow seist sooth; haue thow the yerde my dere sone & correcte me for myn impacience // [674] Of pacience cometh obedience thurgh whiche a man is obedient to criste & to alle hem to whiche he ought ben obedient to criste // [675] And vndirstonde wele that obedience is parfite whan that a man dooth gladly & hastyly with good. herte entierly. al that he shold doo. [676] Obedience generally is to performe the doctrine of god & of his souereyn to whiche hym ougte to ben obeissaunt in alle rightwisnesse

 .De accidia./

[677] Aftyr the synne of Envye and Ire; now wole I speke of thee synne of Accidie. For Enuye blyndeth the herte of a man & Ire trobleth a man. And Accidie maketh hym heuy thoughtfull & wrawe. [678] Enuye & Ire maken bitternesse in herte / which bitternesse is moder of accidie / And bynemeth hym the loue of alle goodnesse / Thanne is accidie the Angwisshe of troubled herte. As seith seint Austyn seith / It is anoye of goodnesse. & anoye of harme [679] / Certes this is a dampnable synne / for it dooth wronge to ihesu criste in as moche as it bynemeth the seruyce that men oughte doon to ihesu criste with alle diligence. as seith Salo|mon // [680] But Accidie dooth no swiche diligence. he dooth all thynge with a noy. and with wrawnesse. And excusacioun. And with ydelnesse & vnluste / For whiche the book seith / A-cursed be he. that dooth the seruyce of god necligently [681] Thanne is Accidie enemy to euery estaat of man. For certes thestaat of man is in .iij. maners // [682] Outher it is thestaat of Innocence / as was thestaat of Adam byforn that he felle in-to synne / in whichee estaat he was holden too wirche / as in heringe / And Adowrynge of god // [683] Another estaat is thestaat of synfull men / in whiche estat men ben holden to labour in preynge to god for amendement of hire synnes / & that he wole graunte hem to ryse oute of hire synnes [684] A nother estaat is the estaat of grace. in whiche estaat he is holde to werkes of penytence / And certes to alle these thynges. is Accidie enemye & con|trarie. For he loueth no besynesse at al // [685] Now certes this foule synne / Accie is eke a ful grete enemye to the lyflode of the body / For it ne hath noo purueaunce agayns temporel necessite For it forslewith & for|sluggeth & destroieth alle goodes temporels by rechelesnesse //

[686] The .iiij. thynge is that Accidie is lyke hem / that ben in the peyne of helle. by cause of hir sleuthe / & of hire heuynesse / For they that ben dampned ben so bounde/ that thay may neyther wele doo ne thynke // [687] Of Accie cometh first that a man is anoyed & encombred for to do any goodnesse / & maketh that god hath abhomynacioun of swiche Accidye //

[688] Now cometh sleuth that wil nat suffre. non hardnesse ne no penaunce / For soothly slouthe ys so tendre & soo delicate. as seith Salomon / that he wole nat suffre noon hardnesse / ne penaunce / And therfore he shendeth al that he dooth [689] agayns this roten herted synne of Accidie & slouthe sholde men exercise hem selfe & vse hem selfe to don good werkes / and manly & vertuously cacchen corage wele to doon thenk|ynge that oure lord Ihesu criste quyteth euery good dede / be it neuer so lite [690] vsage of labour. is a greet thynge. for it maketh as [s]eith Seint Bernarde the laborer to haue stronge armes & harde synwes / & slouthe makith hem feble & tendre // [691] Than cometh drede to begynne to werke any good werkes / for certes he that is enclyned to synne / hym thinketh it is so greet an Emprise for to vndirtake to doon werkes of goodnesse / [692] and casteth in his herte that the circumstaunces of goodnesse ben so greuouse & so chargeaunt for to suffre / that he dar nat vndirtake to do werkes of goodnesse As seith seint Gregorie

[693] Now cometh wanhope that is despeire of the mercy of god that comyth somtyme of to moche out|rageous sorwe / And somtyme of to moche drede ymagen|ynge that he hath do so myche synne. that it wole nat auaille hym though he wolde repente hym / & forsake synne / [694] thurgh whiche despaire or drede / he habawndoneth alle his herte to euery maner synne / As seith seint Augustyn / [695] whiche dampnable synne / if that it contynue vnto his ende / it is cleped synnyng in the holy goost // [696] This horrible synne is so perilous. that he that is despeired / ther nys no felonye ne no synne that he douteth for to doo / As shewed wele be Judas / [697] certes a bouen alle synnes. than is this synne moste displesaunt to criste & moste & moste[sic] aduersarie [698] Sothely / he that despeireth hym. is lyke the cowarde Champion recreaunt that seith creant with oute nede / Allas allas. nedeles is he recreaunt & nedeles despeired / [699] Certes the mercy of god is euer redy to ye penytent And is. a-bouen alle his werkys. [700] Allas kan nat a man by-thynken hym on the gospel of seint luke. 15. Where as criste seith / that as wele shalle ther be ioye in heuene vpon a synfull man that dooth penitence / than vpon. 90 & 19 rightfull men that . . . . .no gap in the MS. neden noo penitence / [701] loke forther in the same gospel / the ioye & the feste of thee good man that hadde loste his sone / whan his sone with repentaunce was retourned to his fader [702] kan they nat remembre hem eke that as seith seynt luke .23. how that the theef / that was hanged by syde Ihesu criste seyde / lorde remembre of me. whan thow comest into thy reigne. [703] For sothe seyde criste I sey to the. to day shalt thow be with me in paradys / [704] Certes ther is noon so horrible synne of man that it ne may in his lyfe be destroied by penitence. thurgh vertue of the passioun & of the deeth of crist [705] Allas what nedeth man thanne to ben despeired. sith that his mercy so redy is & large / axe & haue // [706] Thanne cometh sompnolense. that is sluggy slombrynge whiche maketh a man be heuy & dulle in body & in soule // & this synne cometh of sleuth / [707] And certes the tyme that by wey of reson men sholde nat slepe that is by the morwe / but if there were cause / resonable [708] for soothly the morwe tyde is moste couenable / a man to sey his preiers and for to thynke on god / & to honour god / & to yeuen almesse to the poore / that firste cometh in the name of criste / [709] loo what seith Salomon / who so wole by the morwe a-wake & seke me / he shalle fynde [710] Thanne cometh neclygence or rechele[s]nesse. that rekketh of no thynge /. and how that ignoraunce be moder of alle harme / certes necligence is the Norice / [711] Necligence ne doth noo force whan he shall doon a thynge whether he do it wele or baddely //

[712] Of the remedye of these twoo synnes as seith the wyse man that he that dredeth god / he spareth nat to doon that hym oughte doon. [713] & he that loueth god; he wole doon diligence to plese god to his werkis and a-bawndone hym selfe with alle his myght wele for to doon / [714] Than cometh Idelnesse that is the yate of alle harmes / An ydel man is lyke a place that hath no wallys the deuels may entre on euery syde / or sheet at hym ad diskouerte by temptacion on euery syde / [715] This ydelnesse is the Thurrok/ of alle wikked and vileyns. and of alle Iangles trufles / and of alle ordure / [716] Certes the heuen is yeuen to hem that wole labouren & nat to ydel folke / Eeke Dauid seith that they ne be nat in the laboure of men ne they shulle nat be whipped with men that is to seyn in purgatorie / [717] certes thanne semeth it they shulle be turmentyd with the del in helle. but if they doo penitence /

[718] Than cometh the synne that men clepe Tarditas / as whan a man is to laterede or tariynge er he wole turne to god / And certes that is a grete folye / he is lyke to hym that falleth in the diche / & wole nat aryse / [719] And this vice comyth of a fals hope / that he thynketh / that he shalle lyue longe / but that hope failleth ful ofte //

[720] Thanne cometh lacchesse / that is he / that whan he begynneth any good werke anoon he shalle forlete it and stynte as doon they that han any wight to gouerne / and ne taken of hym no more kepe / Anoon as they fynden any contrarie / or any anoye // [721] These ben the newe shepehurdes that leten hire shipe wytyngly to renne to the wolfe that is in the breris / or do no force of hire owne gouernaunce / [722] Of this cometh pouerte / and destruccion bothe of spirituelle & temporelle thynges / Thanne cometh a maner cooldnesse that freseith alle the herte of man // [723] Than comyth vndeuocion thurgh whiche a man is blente As seith seint Bernard / & hath swiche langour in soule that he may neither rede ne synge in holy chirche. ne here ne thynke of noo deuocion ne trauaille with his handes in noo good werke that it nys to hym vnsauory / And alle appalled / [724] thanne waxeth he slow & slombry / And so is enclyned to hate & to Enuye // [725] thanne comyth the synne of wordly sorwe. swiche as is cleped Tristicia. that sleeth man as seith seint Poule / [726] For certes swiche sorwe wercheth to the deeth of the soule / and of the body also / For ther of cometh / that a man is anoyed of his owne lyfe / [727] wherfore swiche sorwe shorteth ful ofte the lyfe of a man er that his tyme by come by wey of kynde

Remedium contra peccatum accidie

[728] Agayns this horrible synne of Accidie & the braun|ches of the same that is a vertue that is called Fortitudo. or strenght that is an affeccion thurgh whiche aman despiseth a noyous thynge // [729] This vertue is so myghty and so vigorous / that it dar withstonde myghtely & wisely kepe hym from periles that ben wikked / and wrastle agayns the assawtes of the deuel / [730] for it enhaunceth & enforceth the soule right as Accidie a-batith it and maketh it feble / For this Fortitudo may long endure by longe suffraunce. the trauailles that ben couenable //

[731] This vertue hath many spices // The firste is cleped magnanymite / that is to seyn grete corage . . . . .no gap in the MS. agayns Accidie / leste that it ne swolwe the soule / by the synne of sorwe. or destroye it by wanhope / [732] This vertue maketh folke vndirtake harde thynges & greuouse thynges by hire owne wille. wisely and resonabely / [733] And for as mychel as the deuel fyȝtteth agayns a man more by queyntyse and by sleight than by streght; therfore men shalle withstande hym by witte & by reson & by dis|crecion [734] Thanne Arn there the vertues of Feith & hope in god; and in his seintȝ to acheue & complice the good werkys whiche he purposeth fermely to contynue // [735] Thanne cometh seuerte or sikernesse & that is whan a man ne douteth no trauaille in tyme comynge of the good werkes that a man hath bygonne // [736] Than cometh magnificence / that is to seyn whan a man dooth & perfourmeth grete werkes of goodnesse And that is the ende why that men sholde doo gode werkys / For in the Accomplysynge of grete gode werkys. lyth the grete gerdoun [737] Thanne is there Constaunce that is stablenesse of corage / And this sholde ben in herte by stedeuast feith / And in mouth / and in berynge & in chere / & in dede / [738] Eke ther ben more special remedies agayns Accidie in dyuers werkys. And in consideracions of the peynes of helle and of the ioyes of heuene / And in the truste of the grace of the holy goost that wole yeue hym myght to performe ys good entente.

 De Auaricia

[739] Aftyr Accidie wole I speke of Auarice / & of coueitise / of whiche synne / seith seint Poule / that the rote of alle harmes ys couetise / Ad Thimoth.6to. [740] For soothly whan the herte of mar is confounded in it selfe & trowble / and that the soule hath loste the comfort of god than seketh he an ydel solace of wordly thynges

[741] // Auarice aftir the descripcioun / of seint Augustyn is lykerous in herte to haue erthely thynges / [742] som other folke seyn that auarice is for to purchace many erthely thynges. & no thynge yeue to hem that han nede // [743] And vndirstonde that Auarice ne stant nat in londe ne catel. but som|tyme in science & in glorie. & in euery maner outrageous thynge. is Auarice & couetise / [744] And the difference bitwix Auarice & couetise is this / Couetise is this / Couetise is for to coueit swiche thynges as thow haste nat / And Auarice is for to with-holde & to kepe swiche thynges as thow haste with oute rightful nede / [745] Soothly this Auarice is a synne that is full dampnable / For alle holy writte curseth it / And speketh agayns that vice. For it dooth wronge to Ihesu criste / [746] For it byreueth hym the loue that men to hym owen. & turneth yt bakwarde agayns alle reson. [747] and makith that the Auaricious man hath more hope in his catel. than in Ihesu criste. and doeth more obseruaunce & kepynge of his tresore than he doth to the seruyse of Ihesu criste / [748] And therfore seith seint Poul Ad Ephesios .5to. that an auaricious man is the thraldom of ydolatrie

[749] What difference is bitwixe an ydolastre / and an auaricious man / but that an ydolastre parauenture ne hath but oo mawment or twoo And the Auaricious man hath manye / For certes euery Floryn in his Coffre / is hys Mawment / [750] And certes the synne of Mawmientrie is the firste thynge / that god deffended in the ten commaund|ement as berith witnesse in Exodi co. 20. [751] Thow shalte haue no fals goddis bifore me / ne thow shalte make to the noo graue thynge Thus is an Auaricious man that loueth his tresore byforn god and ydolastre [752] thurgh his cursed synne of Auarice // Of Couetise comen his harde lordshipes. thurgh whiche men ben destreyned by taylages / customes & cariages moore than hire duete or resonn is / And eke take they of hire bonde men Amercymentz whiche myghte moore rightfully ben cleped extorcions than Mercymentz [753] Of whiche mercymentz and raunsonynge of bonde men / somme lordes stywardes. seyen that it is rightfull / for as myche as a cherle hath no temporel thynge that it ne is his lordes as they seyn // [754] But certes these bysshops don wronge that byreuen hire bonde folke thynges that they neuer yaf hem Augustinus de civitate libro .9o. // [755] Sooth is that the condicion of thraldom. & the firste cause of thraldom is for synne Genesis .9o.

[756] thus may yee sen that the gilte disserued thraldom / but nat nature / [757] wherfore these lordes ne sholde nat myche glorifie hem in hire lordeships sith that be naturel condicion they ben nat lordes ouer thralles / but that thraldome comyth firste by the diserte of synne // [758] And forther ouer / ther as the lawe seith that temporel godes of bonde folke ben the goodes of hire lordshipes / ye that is for to vndirstonde the godes of the Emperour / to deffenden hem in here right. but nat for to robben hem ne reuen hem / [759] And therfore seith Seneca / Thy prudence shulde lyue benignely with thy thralles [760] . . . . .no gap in the MS. ben goddes peple / For humble folke / ben cristes freendes. they ben contubernial with the lorde //

[761] Thenke eke that of swiche seed . . . . .no gap in the MS. springen lordes / as wele may the cherle be saued as the lorde / [762] . . . . .no gap in the MS. wherfore I rede do right so with thy cherle. as thow woldest that thy lorde dide with thee / if thow were in his plyght // [763] Euery synfull man is a cherle to synne / I rede thee certes that thow lorde werke in swiche wise with thy cherles. that they rather loue the than drede // [764] I woot wele ther is degre a-boue degree. as reson is and skille is that men do hyre deuoire ther as it is dewe / But certes extorcions & despite of youre vnderlynges is dampnable //

[765] And forther ouer vnderstonde wele that conquerours or tirauntz maken ful ofte thralles of hem that ben borne of as roial blood as ben they that hem conqueren / [766] This name of Cherldom was neuer erste kouthe til that Noe seide that his sone Canaan sholde be thralle to hise bretheren for his synne // [767] What seye we thanne of hem thatte pilen & doon extorcions to holy chirche / Certes the swerde thatte men yeuen firste to a knyght. whanne he is newe dubbed signifieth that he sholde deffende holy chirche / and nat robbe it ne pile it And whoo so dooth is traitour to criste / [768] And as seith seint Augustyn. they ben the deuels wolues that stra[n]glen the sheepe of ihesu criste. And doon worse than wolues / [769] For soothly whanne thee wolfe hath full his wombe. he stynteth to strangle his sheepe But soothly the pilours and destroi|ours of holy chirches godes. ne doo nat soo. For they ne stynte neuer to pille haue they neuer so myche [770] Now as I haue seide. sith so is that synne was firste cause; of thraldom; than is it thus that thilke tyme. that alle this world was in synne; than was al this world thraldom & subieccioun [771] but certes sith the tyme of grace cam / god ordeyned / that som folke sholde be more highe in estaat & in degree. and some folke more lowh / and that eueriche sholde be serued in estaat . . . . .no gap in the MS. [772] And therfore in som cuntres ther they bien thralles whan they han turned hem to the feyth; they make hire thralles free oute of thraldom / And therfore certes the lorde oweth to his man; that the man that the man oweth to his lorde / [773] The pope calleth hym selfe seruaunt of the seruauntez of god; but for as moche as the estate of holy chirche ne myghte nat han be / ne the comune profite myght nat han be kepte ne pees & reste in erthe but if god hadde ordeyned that som man had hier degree & som men lower. [774] therfore was souereynete ordeyned to kepe & mayntene. and def|fende hire vnderlynges or hire subgetz in reson / as fer|forth as lieth in here power / And nat to destroy hem / ne confounde / [775] Wherfore I seye of thilke lordes. that ben like wolues that deuouren the possessions or the catel of pouere folke wrongfully. with outen mercy or mesure; [776] they shulle receyuen by the same mesure that they han mesured to pouere folke the mercy of Ihesu criste but if it be amended // [777] Now comyth deceite betwix Merchaunt & Merchaunt. And thow shalte vndir|stonde / that merchaundise is in many maners / that oon is bodely / and that other is gostely // That oon is honeste & leuefull & that other deshoneste & vnleuefull // [778] Of thilke bodely merchaundise that is leuefull and honeste is this / that there as god hath ordeyned that a regne / or a cuntre is suffisaunt to hym selfe; than is it honeste & leuefull / that of habundaunce of this cuntre that men helpe another cuntre that is more nedy // [779] And therfore ther mote ben Merchauntz to brynge fro that oo cuntre to that other hire Merch|aundisez // [780] That other Merchaundise that men haunte with fraude or trecherie & deceite with lesynges & fals oothes. is cursed & dampnable // [781] Espirituel Merchaundise is proprely Symonye that is ententyfe desire to bye thynge espirituel / that is thynge that aperteneth to the seintuarie of god & to cure of the soule / [782] This desire if so be that a man doo his diligence to performe it / al be it that his desire ne take noon effecte yet is it to hym a deedly synne / and if he be ordred. he is irreguler // [783] Certes Symonye is cleped of Symond Magus that wolde han boughte for temporel catel the yefte that god hadde yeuen by the holy goost to seint Peter and to the Apostles. [784] And therfore vndirstonde. that bothe he that selleth. & he that bieth thynges espirituels. ben cleped Symony als / be it by catel. be it be procurynge or be fleisshly preiere of hise frendis / or espirituel frendes / [785] Fleisly in two maners as by kyn-rede. or other frendes / Sothly if they praye for hym that is nat worthy and able / it is symonye. if he take the benefice / & if he be worthy and able; ther nys noon // [786] That other maner is. whan man or woman praien for folke to auauncen hem oonly. For wikke fleisshly affeccioun that they han vnto the persones / And that is foule Symonye / [787] but certez in seruyse for whiche men yeuen thyng espirituel. vnto hire seruauntz. it mote ben vndi[r]stande / that the seruise mote be honeste & ellys / nat / And eke that it be with oute bargaynynge / and that the persone be able / [788] For as seith seint Damasye / alle the synnes of the worlde at regarde of this synne / arn as a thynge of naught for it is ye gretteste synne that may be. after the synne of lucyfer & of Antecriste [789] for by this synne god forleseth the chirche & the soule that he bought with his precious blood by hem that yeuen chirches to hem that ben nat digne / [790] For they putten. In thevys that stelen the soules of ihesu criste & destroien his patri|moygne [791] by swiche vndigne prestes & curatz halewed men han the lesse reuerence of the sacrementz of holy chirche & swiche yeueris of chirches putten oute the children of criste and putten into the chirche the deuels owne sone / [792] they sillen the soules that lambes shulde kepen to the wolfe that strangleth hem // And therfore shulle they neuer han parte of the pasture of lambes that is the blysse of heuene // [793] Now comyth hasardrie with hise apur|tenaunces. as tables. Rafles. of which deceite fals oothes / chidynges / and alle rauynes / blasphemynge & reneiynge of god / and hate of his neighebores / waaste of goodes / mysdespendynge of tyme / & somtym man|slaughtre // [794] Certes hasardours ne mowe nat ben with outen grete synne // . . . . .no gap in the MS. [795] Of Auarice / comen eke lesynges / thefte & fals witnesse and fals oothes / And ye shulle vndirstonde that these ben grete synne. & expresse agayn the commaundementz of god as I haue seyd [796] Fals witnesse is in worde & eke in dede. In worde; as for to bireue thy neighebores good name by thy fals witnessynge or birefe hym his catel or his heritage by fals witnesseng whan thowe for ire or for mede. or for enuye birefte fals witnesse / or accusest hym or excusest hym by thy fals witnesse / or ellys ex|cusest thy self falsly / [797] Ware yow questemongers and Notaries. Certes thurghe fals witnessyng was Susanna in ful grete sorwe and peyne. & many a nother moo // [798] The synne of thefte is eke expresse agayns goddis heste. & that in two maners / corporel or spirituel [799] [Corporel] as for to take thy neighebores catel agayns his wille / by it by force / or by sleighte / be it by mete or by mesure [800] by stelynge eke of fals enditementz vpon hym. & in borwynge of thy neighebores catel / in entente neuer to paie. & semblable thynges // [801] Es|pirituel thefte is sacrilege that is to seyn hurt|ynge of holy thynges or of thynges sacred to criste in twoo maneris by reson of the holy place. as chirches or chirchehawes. [802] For whiche euery vyleyns synne that men doon in swiche places may be cleped sacrilege or euery violence in the semblable places // Also they that withdrawe falsly the rightes that longen to holy chirche [803] & pleinly & generally sacrilege is to reue holy thynge fro holy place / or vnholy thynge oute of holy place / or holy thynge oute of vn|holy place

 Remedium contra peccatum auaricie

[804] NOw shulle ye vndirstonde / that the releuynge of Auarice / is misericorde & pite largely taken / And men myght axe why that misericorde & pite is releuynge of auarice // [805] Certes the Auari|cious man sheweth no pite ne misericorde to the nedefull man. For he deliteth hym in kepynge of hise tresore. and nat in the rescowynge ne releuynge of hys euene cristene / And therfore speke I firste of Misericorde // [806] Thanne is misericorde as seith the Philosophre a vertue. by whiche the corage of a man is sterid by the myseise of hym that is myseised / [807] vpon whiche Misericorde folwith pite in perfourmynge of charitable werkys of Misericorde / [808] And certes thise moeuen man to the Misericorde of ihesu criste that yaf hym self for oure gilte & suffred deeth for Misericorde. & forgaf vs original synnes / [809] and therby relessed vs fro the peyne of helle. & amenused thee peyne of purgetorie. by penitence / And yeueth grace wele to doo and at the laste. the ioy of heuene // [810] The spices of Misericorde ben as for to lene. & for to yeue. & eke for to yeue & relesse. & for to han pite in herte. & compassion of the myschefe of his euene cristene / and eke chastise ther as nede is // [811] A nother maner of remedie agayns Auarice is resonable largesse / But soothly here byhoueth the con|syderacion of the grace of ihesu criste. and of his temporel goodes eke & of the goodes perdurables that criste yaf vs / [812] & eke to han remembraunce of the deeth that he shal receyue. he noot whanne. & eke that he shal forgoon al that he hath. saue oonly that he hath despended in good werkys //

[813] But for as myche as som folke ben vn Mesur|able. men oughte eschewe fool largesse that men clepen waaste // [814] Certes he that is fool large. ne yeueth nat his catel but he leseth his catel / Soothly what thynge that he yeueth for veyn glorie / as to Mynstrals / & to folke for to beren his renoun in the worlde / he hath synne & noon almesse / [815] certes he leseth firste hys godes. that ne seketh with the yefte of his good / nothynge but synne / [816] he is lyke to an hors that seketh rather to drynke drouy or trowble water than for to drynkee water of the clere welle / [817] And for as myche as they yeuen. there as they shulde nat yeuen. to hem aperteyneth thilke malison that criste shall yeue at the day of dome to hem that shullen be dampned

 .De .Gula./

[818] After Auarice comyth Glotonye. whiche is expresseGula eke a-geyn the commaundement of god // Glotonye is vnmesurable appetyte to ete or to drynke. or ellys to doon y-now to the vnmesurable appetyt & desordeyne couetise to ete or to drynke / [819] This synne This synne corrumped al this world / as is wele shewed in the synne of Adam & of Eue. loo eke what seith seint Poule of glotonye / [820] Many seith seint Poule goon / of whiche I haue efte seyde to yow / And now I seye it wepynge / that ben the enemys of the croys of criste / of whiche the ende is deeth / and of whiche hire wombe is hire god. and hir glorie / & in confusion of hem / that so deuouren erthely thynges / [821] he that is vsaunt to this synne of glotonye; he ne may no synne withstonde / he mote ben in seruage of alle vices / for it is the deueles horde / ther he rideth hym & resteth / [822] this synne hath many spices // The firste is dronkenesse that is the horrible sepulcre of mannes reson / And ther|fore whan a man is drunken. he hath loste his reson. and this is deedly synne / [823] But soothly whan that a man is nat wonte to stronge drynke. & perauenture ne knoweth nat the strenghthe of the drynke or hath feblesse in his heed or hath trauailled / thurgh whiche he drynketh the more. al be he sodenly caught with drynke. it is no deedly synne / but venial // [824] The secounde spice of glotonye is; that the spirite of a man wexeth alle troble for dronkenesse bireueth hym the discrecioun of his witte // [825] The thridde spice of glotonye is. whan a man devowreth his mete. & hath no rightfull maner of etynge [826] The ferthe is. whanne thurgh the grete habun|daunce of his mete / the humours in his body ben des|tempered // [827] The fifte is. foryetilnesse be to mychel drynkynge. for whiche somtyme a man forgeteth er the morwe // what he dyde at euen or on the nyght byfore //

[828] In other maner ben distynte the spices of Glotonye aftir seint Gregorie // The firste is for to ete bi|foren tyme to ete // The secounde is whan a man gete hym no delicate mete or drynke // [829] The thridde is. whan men taken to myche ouer mesure // The fourthe is Curiosite / with grete entente to make & apparaillen his mete // The fifte is for to ete to gredely // [830] These ben the v. fyngers of the deuels hande / by whiche he drawith folke to synne

¶ Remedium contra peccatum gule

[831] Agayns glotonye is the remedie. Abstynence as seith Galien. but that holde I nat meritorie. if he do it oonly for hele of the body / Seint Augustyn wole that Abstinence doon for vertue & with pacience /[832] Abstynence he seith. is litelle woorth. but if a man haue good wille therto / and but it be enforced by pacience & by charite & that men doon it for goddis sake & in hope to haue the blysse of heuene //

[833] The felawes of Abstinence / ben attemper|aunce that holdeth the mene in alle thynges / Eke shame that escheweth alle deshoneste / Suffisaunce that siketh no riche metes ne drynkes ne dooth no fors of to outrageous apparaillynge of metis / [834] Mesure also that restreyneth by reson the deslauee appetit of etynge / Sobrenesse also that restreyneth the outrage of drynke / [835] Sparynge also that restreineth the delicate ease to sitte longe at his mete. and softely / wher fore somme folke stonden at hire owne wille to eten atte lasse leyser

 .De luxuria./

[836] After Glotonye. thanne cometh leccherie / For these two synnes ben so nygh Cosyns that ofte tyme they wole nat departe / [837] God wote this synne is ful displesaunt to god / for he seide hym selfe. doo no leccherie / And therfore he putte grete peynes agayns thys synne in the olde testament. [838] If wom|an thralle. were taken in this synne. she sholde be beten with staues to the deth / And if shee were a gentil|woman. she sholde be slayn with stones / And if she were a bisshopes doughter. she sholde be brente by goddes commaundement // [839] Forther ouer by the synne of leccherie god dreinte alle the worlde. at the diluge / And aftir that he brente .v. Citees with thonder lyght. & sonke hem into helle //

[840] Now late vs speke thanne of thylke stynkynge synne of leccherie that men clepe avoutrie of weddide folke that is to seyn. if that oon of hem be weddyd. or ellys bothe [841] Seint Iohn seyth / that auowtiers shullen ben in helle in a stanke brennynge of fuyr & of brymstoon . . . . . no gap in the MS. for the stynke of hire ordure // [842] Certes the brekynge of thys sacrement. is an horrible thynge. It was maked of god hym selfe in paradys. and confermed by Ihesu criste as witnesseth seint Mathew in the gospel. 19. A man shal lete Fader & Moder & takyn hym to his wyfe. & they shuln ben twoo in oo fleissh [843] This sacrament betoke|neth the knyttynge to-gidre of criste & of holy chirche. [844] And nat oonly that god forbade avoutrie in dede. but eke he commaunded / that thow sholdest nat coueite thy neighebores wyfe [845] In this heste seith seint Augustyn. is forboden alle manere couetise to doon lecherie / loo what seith seint Mathewe.vo. in the gospel / that who seeth a woman to couetise of hys luste he hath doon lecherie with hire in his herte. [846] here may ye sen / that nat oonly the de dede of this synne is forboden / but eke the desire to doon that synne // [847] Thys cursed synne anoieth greuously hem that it haunten And firste to hire soule / For he obligeth it to synne & to peyne of deth that is perdurable / [848] vnto the body anoieth it greuously also / For it drieth hym & wasteth / and shente hym / and of his blood he maketh sacrifice to the fende of helle / It wasteth eke his catel / and his substaunce [849] and certes yef it be a foule thynge a man to wasten his catel on wommen; yet is it a fouller thynge whan that for swiche ordure wommen despenden vpon men hire catel & substaunce // [850] Thys synne as seith the prophete byreueth man & woman hire good fame & alle hire honour. And it is full plesaunt to the deuel./ For therby wynneth he the moste partie of this worlde / [851] And right as a Merchaunt deliteth hym moste in chafare that he hath moost auauntage of/ right so deliteth the fende in this ordure /

[852] This is that other [hond] of the deuel with .v. fyngers to cacche the peple to this vileynye // [853] The firste fynger is the fool lokynge of the fool womman. and of the fool man that sleeth right as the basilicok/ sleth folke / by the venym of hys syght for the couetise of the eyen / folwen the couetyse of the herte // [854] The secound fynger is the vyleyns touchynge in wicked manere / And therfore seith seint Salomon. that who so toucheth and handleth a woman he fareth lyke hym that handleth the Scorpion that styngeth & sodeinly sleeth thurgh his enuenemynge / as who so touchith warme piche. hit shent hise fingres // [855] The thridde is fool wordes. that farith lyke fuyr that right anoon brenneth the herte // [856] The ferthe fynger. is the kyssynge / And trewely he were a greet fool that wolde kysse the Mouth of a brennynge Ouene. or of a Forneis [857] And more fooles ben they that kyssen in vileynye / For that Mouth is the Mouthe of helle / And namely this olde Dotardes holors yet wole they kysse; thogh they may nat doo. & smatre hem / [858] Certes they ben lyke to houndes / For an hounde whan he cometh by the roser or by other beautes. thogh he may nat pisse / yet wole he heue up his legge and make kon|tenaunce to pisse / [859] And for that many man weneth that he may nat synne for no lykerousnesse that he doth with his wyfe certes that opynyon is fals / god woot a man may slen hym selfe with his owne knyfe / & make hym selfe dronke of his owne tonne / [860] Certis be it wyfe or childe. or any wordly thynge that he loueth byforn god / it is his mawment. & he is an ydolastre / [861] A man sholde louen his wyfe by discrecion / paciently and attemprely. and thanne is she as it were hys syster // [862] The fyfthe fyfthe fynger of the deuels hand / is the stynkynge dede of lecchery [863] Certes the .v. fyngres of glotonye the fende putte in the wombe of a man. & with his .v. fyngers of lecherie he gripeth hym by the reynes for to throwe hym into the forneys of helle / [864] ther as they shalle han the fuyr and the wormes that euer shulle lasten and wepynge & waylyng/ sharpe hunger & thurste / grymlynesse of the deueles that shullen alle to treden hem withoute respyte. and with outen ende // [865] Of lecherie as I seyde sourden dyuerse spices. As fornicacion. that is bitwixe man & woman that ben nat maryed/ and this is deedly and agayns nature / [866] al that is enemy and destruccioun to nature. is agayns nature / [867] Parfay the reson of a man telleth hym eke wele that it is deedly synne / For as myche as [go]d forbade lecherie / And seint Poule yeueth hem the regne / that [MS. torn] dewe to no wight but to hem that doon deedly synne [868] [MS. torn] her synne of lecherie of is for to bireue a maiden. of hire may[denh]ode // For he that soo dooth; certes he casteth a maiden out [MS. torn]e hiest degree that is in this present lyfe [869] & bireueth hire thil[ke preci]ous fruyt that the book clepith the hundrid fruyt I ne kan [nat seye] it noon other weyes in englysshe. but in latyn it hight Cen[tesim]us fructus / [870] Certes he that so dooth. is cause of many damages [and vile]ynyes. moo than any man kan rekene / Right as he somtyme is cause of alle the damages that beestes don in the felde. that brekyth the hegge or the closure / thurgh whiche he destroieth that may nat ben restored / [871] For certes no more may maydenhede be re|stored thanne an arme that is smyten fro the body may retorne a-gayn to wexe / [872] she may haue mercy . thys woot I wele if shee do penitence / but neuer shal it be. that she nas corrupt. [873] And alle be it so that I haue spoke somwhat of avoutrie. it is good to shewe moo perils that longen to avoutrye for to eschewe that foule synne / [874] Auowtrye in latyn is for to seyne aprochynge of oother mannes bedde thorgh thoo that whilom were o fleyssh abawdone hir bodyes to othere persones [875] Of this synne as seyth the wise man folwen many harmes / First brekynge of feyth And certes in feith is the keye of Cristendome / [876] And whan that fey[th] is broke & lorne. soothly Cristendome stant veyne & with outen fruyt [877] This synne is eke a thefte / For thefte generally to speke is for to reue a wight his thynge agayns his wille / [878] Certis this is the fouleste thefte that may be whan a woman stelyth hire body from hire housbande. & yeueth it to hire holour to defoule hire. & stelyth hire soule fro criste and yeueth it to the deuel / [879] this is a fouler thefte. than for to breke a chirche & stele the Chalice // For these avoutiers breken te temple of god spirituelly. & stelen the vessel of grace that is ye body & the soule. For whiche criste shal destroien hem as seyth seint Poule. [880] Soothly of this thefte. douted gretly Ioseph. whan that hys lordes wyfe preyed hym of vylenye whan he seyde / loo my lady how my lorde hath take to me vnder my warde / al that he hath in this worlde. ne no thynge of of hise thynges is oute of my power but oonly ye that ben his wyfe / [881] And how sholde I thanne do this wikkednesse & synne so horribly agayns god / and agayns my lorde god it forbede / Allas alto lyte ys swiche treuth now yfounde // [882] The thridde harm is the filthe. thurgh whiche they breken the commaundement of god. and defoulen the Auctour of hire Matrimony that is criste. [883] For certes in so myche as the sacrament of mariage is so noble & so digne so myche it is grete synne for to breke yt For god makyd mariage in Paradys in the staat of Innocence to multiplie mankynde to the seruyce of god [884] and therfore is the brekyng the more greuous of whiche brekynge comen fals eires ofte tyme that wrongfully occupien folkes heritages / And therfore wole [crist] put hem oute of the reigne of heuene that is heritage to good [folke] [885] Of thys brekynge comyth eke ofte tyme that folk vnware [wed]den or synnen with hire owne. kynrede. and namely thilke ha[rlotes] that haunten bordels / of these fool wymmen that mowe b[e lykened] to a comyn gonge. where as men pourgen hire ordure [886] // w[hat se]y wee eke of putours that lyuen by the horrible synne of pute[rie [and] constreyne wymmen to yelden hem a certeyne rente of hire bo[dely] Puterie / ye somtyme his owne wyfe or his childe. as doon [these] bawdes / certes these ben cursed synnes // [887] vndirstonde eke[leaf. 272-3 is out] [[] that Advowtre is sette eke in the .x. commaundementis betwexe thefte and man|slauhter / for hit is lyke gretist thefte that may be / ffor hit is theft of body and of soule / [888] and hit is like an homycide ffor hit kervith a too hem that first wer made oo flesshe And therfore by the olde lawe of god he sholde be sleyne / [889] But nevir the lesse bi the lawe of Ihu Crist that/ is the lawe of pite / whan he seide to the woman that was founden in Advowtre and sholde haue bene sleyne with stones after the will of the Iewes as was her lawe / go quod Ihu Crist and haue no more will to do synne or will no more to do synne / [890] Sothely the vengiaunce of Advowtre is awarded to peynes off helle but yff hit be disturberid bi penitence // [891] yet ben ther mo spices of this cursed synne / as whan the tone of hem is religious or bothe / or of folke that ar enterid in the ordure of subdekyn or prest/ or hospitulers / and evir the hiher that he is in ordure the grettir is the synne / [892] The thynges that gretly grogen her synne is to breken her avowe of chastite / whan he hath receyved the ordour / [893] and ferthere ovir soth it is / that hooly ordur is cheeff off alle tresoure of god and his speciall signe and marke of chastite to shewe that they be Ioyned to chastite which that is most precious liffe that is [894] And thes ordred folke bene specially tytelid to god And off the specyall meynye of god / ffor whiche whan thei done deedly synne thei bene the speciall traitours of god and off his poeple / ffor the lyven off the poeple and prayen for the poeple / and whil thei be suche traitours / her prayours availe nat to the poeple / [895] Prestes bene Aungellis as bi the dignyte of mysterie / but sothely seynt poule/ Paulus / seith that Sathanas transformyth hym in Aungel of liht / [896] Sothely the prest that hauntith deedly synne he may be lykened to the Aungell of derkenes transformed in the Aungell of light / he semyth an Aungell of liht / but forsothe he is an aungell off derkenes / [897] Suche prestes bene the sonnes of belial as sheweth in the booke of kynges / that thei were the/ In libro Regum sones of beliall. that is the devill / [898] Beliall is to seyn withouten Iuge and so fare thei that thynken thei be fre / and haue no Iuge no more than doth a fre boll that taketh suche a Cowe as hym lyketh in the towne / [899] so fare they by women For riht as a fre boll is Inouh for alle a toune / riht so is a wicked preste corrupcioun Inowh for all a parysshe or for alle a contreie / [900] Thes prestes as seith the booke ne comme not to the mysterie of presthode to the poeple ne to god ne knowe thei not ne the holde hem not apayed as seith the booke of suche flesshe that was to hem offerid / but thei take bi force the flesshe that is rawe / [901] Certes so thes olde shrewes holde hem not apayed of rostid flesshe and sode flesshe / with whiche the poeple feden hem on grete reverence but thei will haue rawe flessh of folkes wyves and her douhteris [902] And certes thes women that consentyn to her harlotry done gret wronge to Crist and holy Chriche and alle halows / and to alle sowles / ffor thei berevyn hym alle thes that sholde worship crist and hooly chirche and pray for cristen sowles / [903] And therfore haue suche prestes and her lemans eke that consentyn to her lecherye the malison off alle cristen courte tille thei come to Amendement // [904] The .iij. spice of Advowtre is some tyme betwene a man and his wiff / that is whan thei take no rewarde to her assembelynge but onely to her flesshly delite as seith Seynt Ierome [905] and ne reken of no thyng / but that . . . . .no gap in the MS. they ben maried alle is good Inough as thynketh to them / [906] but in suche folke hath the devill power as seith the Aungell Raphael to Tobye / For in her assembelynge that thei put Ihe crist oute of her herte and yeve hem silf to alle ordoure // [907] The .iiij. spice is of the semble of hem that bene of her kynred or of affinite or els with them / with whiche her faders or her kyndred haue delid in the synne of lecherye / this synne maketh hem like to houndes that take no kepe to kyndred / [908] And certes parentail is in .ij. maners eyther/ De parentela gostly or flessly / Gostlye as for to delyn with her gosseppis / [909] ffor riht so as he that engenderith a childe is his flessly fader / riht so is god fadir his spirituall fader / ffor whiche a woman may in no lesse synne assemblyn with hir gossep than with hir owne flesshly broder // [910] The .v. spice is thilke abhominable synne of whiche no man vnneth spekith ne writeth / nevir the lesse it is openly reherced in holy writte / [911] this cursidnes doth men & women in dyverse entente or . . . . .no gap in the MS. horrible synne / Certes hooly writte may nat be defouled no more than the sonne that shyneth on the donge hille // [912] Anothersynne apperteyneth to lechery þat cometh in slepyng / and this synne cometh ofte to hem that bene maydens and eeke to them that bene corrupte and this synne men cleepe pollucion that commeth in .iij. maners / [913] some tyme off langwisshyng of body / for the humours bene to rank and habundaunt in the bodie of man / some tyme for infirmyte for the febilnes of the vertu retentiff as phisik maketh mencion / some tyme for sorfett of mete and drynke / [914] And some tyme of vilons thouhtes that ben enclosed in mannes thouht whan he goth to slepe whiche may nat ben withouten synne / ffor whiche men most kepe hem wiselye or ells men mowe synne right greuously &c

 Remedium contra peccatum Luxurie.

[915] Nowe commeth the remedie ageyns Lecherye that is generally Chastite and continence that re|streyneth alle disordeynet moevyng that commeth of flesshly talent/ [916] And evir the grettir merite shall he haue that most restreyneth the wicked enchaw|fyng or ardure of this synne / And this is in .ij. maners that is to seye chastite of mariage and chastite of widdowhode / [917] Nowe shallt thou vndirstonde that matrymonye is leefull assemblynge of man & of woman that receyven bi vertu of the sacrement the bonde / thoruh whiche thei mowe not be departed in alle her liff / that is to seyne while that thei lyven here both [918] as seith the booke is fulle grete sacrement / god made hit in paradise as I haue seide biforne and wolde hym silf be borne in mariage / [919] . . . . .no gap in the MS. he was at weddyng where as he tornyd watyr in to wyne / whiche was the first miracle that he wrouht in erthe bifore his discipules [920] Trewe effecte of mariage clensith fornicacion & replenisshith holy chirches of good ffor hit is the ende of mariage ffor hit chaungith deedly synne in to veniall synne bitwexte hem that bene I-weddid and maketh her hertes alle one that bene I-weddid as well as the bodyes / [921] this is verrey mariage that was enstabilisshid by god or synne biganne / whan natural lawe was in the right poynte in paradise / & hit was ordeyned that one manNota quare vna mulier adherebit vni viro & e contra sholde haue but one womane and one woman sholde haue but one man as seith seynte Austyne / by many reasouns / [922] ffirst for mariage is first figured bitwex crist and holy cherche / and the other is for a man is hede of a woman / algate bi ordinaunce hit sholde be so / [923] ffor yff women had mo men than one . . . . . no gap in the MS. and that were an horrible thynge bifore god / and eke a woman cowde nat plese to many folke at ones / and also ther sholde nevir be pease nor rest amonge hem ffor everiche wolde axe his owne thynge / [924] And ferther ovir no man sholde knowe his en|gendure nor who sholde haue his heritage and the woman sholde be the lasse bilevid fro the tyme that she were coniuncte to many men //

[925] Nowe commeth howe a man sholde bere hymQuomodo se haberet vir cum vxore to his wiffe in .ij. thynges / that is to seye in sufferaunce and reuerence as shewid crist whan he made first woman / [926] for he ne made her not of the hede Adam for she sholde nat cleyme to grete lordship / [927] for ther as the woman hath the maistre she maketh to moche defray ther nedith none / Ensaumples of this the experience day bi day ouht to suffice / [928] Also certes god ne made not woman off the foot of Adam ffor she ne shulde not be holden to lowe for she can nat paciently suffyr / but god made woman of the rybbe of Adam / ffor woman sholde be felaw vnto man / [929] man sholde bere hym vnto his wiff in feith and in trouth and in love as seith Seynt Poule / that man sholde love his wiff as crist lovith hooly cherche / that lovid it so wel that he dyed for hit / so sholde a man for his wiff yf hit were nede //

[930] Nowe han a woman sholde be subiecte /Quomodo se haberet mulier erga maritum that tellith Seynt Petyr fyrst in obedi|ence [931] as seith the deere / A woman that is a wiff / as longe as she is a wiff she hath none auctorite to swere nor to bere witnes withoute leve off hir housbonde that is hir lorde / Algate she sholde be so by reason [932] She sholde eke serve hym in alle honeste and ben attempre of hir arraye / I wot wel that thei sholde sette her entente to please her hous|bondes but nat bi her quayntes of Arraye / [933] Seynt Ierome seith that wyfes that bene apparellid in selke in precious purpill ne mowe nat cloth hem in Ihesu Crist Loo what seith Seynt Iohn eeke in this mater [934] Seynt Gregory eeke seith that no wiht seekith precious arraye but onely for vayne glorye / the more to be honoured biforne the poeple [935] hit is a grete folye a woman to haue a fayre array outeward and in her silf foule inwarde // [936] A wiffe sholde eke be mesurable in lookyng and beryng and in langage and discrete in alle hir wordes and in hir dedes / [937] and above alle thynges she sholde love hir housbonde with alle hir herte and to hym to be trewe of her bodye / [938] so sholde an housbonde eke to his wiff / For sith that alle the bodye is the housbondes / so sholde hir herte bēn / or ellis bituexte hem too as in that is no parfite mariage / [939] Then shull ye vndir|stonde that for .iij. thynges a man and his wiff flesshly maye assemble / The first is the entente of engen|dure of childerne to the service of god / For certes that is the cause fynalle of matrimonye [940] Another cause is to yelden eueryche of hem to other the dette of her bodye / for neyther of hem hath power of his owne body / The .iijde. is for to eschewe lechere and vilanye / the iiij. is forsoth deedly synne / [941] As to the first hit is meritory / the secounde also as seith the decre / that she hath meryte of chastite that yeldith to her housbonde the dette of hir bodie / ye thouh hit be ayen her lykyng atte the lust of hir hert // [942] The .iij. manere is veniall synne and trewly skarsly may any of thes be withoute veniall synne for the corrupcion and the delite // [943] The .iiijth. maner is for to vndirstond as is thei that assembelith onely for Amorous love / and for none of the foreseide causes / but for to complysshe thilke brennynge delyte they reke nevir howe / ofte / sothlye it is dedely synne and yet with sorwe some folke woll peyne hem more to do then to the appetite sufficith /

[944] The secounde maner off chastite is to be a clene widdowe and eschewe the enbrasynges of a man[Addit. MS. 5140 ends.]]and desiren the embrasynge of Ihesu criste. [945] These ben thoo that [h]an ben wyues. & han forgoon hir hous|bondes. and eke women that han doon leccherie & ben releued by penitence / [946] And certes if that a wife koude kepen hire all chaste by licence of hire housbonde. so that shee nere noon occasion that he agilte; it were to hire a grete merite / [947] These manere women that obseruen chastitee most be clene in herte. as wele as in body. & in thought. & mesurable in clothynge. & in countenaunce // Abstinent in etynge and drynkynge in spekyng & in dede / And thanne is she the vessell. or the boiste of the blessed Mawdelene. that fulfilleth holy chirche full of good odour // [948] The .iij.e manere of chastite is virginite. and it behoueth that she be holy in hert & clene of body / and than is she spouse to Ihesu criste and she is the lyfe of Aungels / [949] she is the preisyng of this world/. and she is as theȝ Martirs in egalite / she hath in hire that tunge may nat telle / [950] virginite bare oure lorde criste / & virgyn was hym //

[951] A nother remedie agaynst leccherie is/ specially to withdrawe swiche thyngis as yeuen occasion to thilke vylenye as ease. etyng & drynkynge. For certes whan the potte boilleth strongely. the best remedye is to with|drawe the fuyr [952] Slepynge longe in grete quiete is eke a grete norise to leccherie //

[953] A nother remedye agayns leccherie. is that a man or a woman eschew the compangny of hem of whiche he douteth to be tempted / For alle be it so. that the dede be withstonde; yet is there grete temptacion. [954] Soothly a whyt wal . al thogh it ne brenne nat fully by stynkyng of a Candle; yet is the walle blakke of the light [955] full ofte tyme I rede that no man triste in his owne perfeccion . but he be strenger than Sampson . or holier than Dauid/ or wiser than Salomon //

[956] Now after that I haue declared yow as I kan . the seuen deedly synnes . & som of hire braunchis & hire remedies soothly if I coude . I wolde telle yow the x commaundementes [957] But so hye a doctrine I lete to dyuynes / natheles I hope to god they ben touched in this tretys . eueryche of hem alle

 De confessione

[958] NOw for as moche as for the secounde partye of peni|tence stant in confession of mouth . as I began in the second chapitre I sey seint Augustyn seith / [959] synne is euery word/ & euery dede / And alle that men coueiten agayn the law of Ihesu criste / & this is for to synne in herte / in mowth / & in dede / by thi v. wittys / that ben sight . huryng . smellynge tastynge . or sauorynge and felynge // [960] Now is it good to vndirstonde the circumstaunces that aggreggen muchel euery synne//[961] Thow shalte considere . what thow art that doist synne . whether thow be male or female . yonge or/ olde gentell/ or thralle . free / or seruaunt . hole / or syke / wedded/ or sengle / ordred or vnordred . wis or fool . clerke / or seculer / [962] if she be of thy kynrede bodely or gostely / or noon / if any of thy kynrede haue synne[d] with hire or noon //

[963] Another circumstaunce is this / whether it be [done] in fornicacioun . or in avoutrie . or Incest or noon / Mayden or noon . in manere of homycyde or noon . orrible grete synnes . or smale . and how longe thow haste contynued in synne // [964] The thridde circumstaunce / is the place / where thow haste doon synne / whether in other mennes hous / or in thyn owne . in felde or in chirche . or in chirche hawe / in chirche dedicat or noon / [965] For if the chirche be halewed . and man or woman spilde his kynde inwith that place by wey of synn[e] or by wikked temptacion; the chirche is entredited . til it be reconsiled by the bysshope / [966] and the preest sholde be entredited that dide swiche a vilenye to terme of alle his lyfe he sholde nomore synge masse / & if he dide; he sholde doon deedly synne . at euery tyme that he songe masse // [967] The ferthe circumstaunce is be whiche mediat|ours . as by messageris . or for enticement . or for consentement to bere compaignye . . . . . no gap in the MS. wole goo the deuel of helle [968] for they that egge[n] or con|senten to the synne; ben prisoners to the synne . & of the damnacion of the synnere //

[969] The fyfthe is how many tymes that he ha[th] synned if it be in his mynde . & how ofte that he hath falle . [970] For he that ofte falleȝ in synne; he despised the mercy of god . & encresseth his synne & is vnkynde to criste / & he wexeth the more febl[e] to withstonde synne . & synneth the more lightly . [971] & the latter aryseth . & is the more eschewe for to schryue hym . and namely to hym that hath ben his con|fessour / [972] For whiche that folke whan that they fallen agayn in hire olde folyes . other they leten hire olde confessours al outrely . or they departen hire shryfte in dyuers places / but soothly swiche departed shrifte deserueth no mercy of god of his synnes // [973] The sixte circum|staunce is . why that a man synneth . a[s] by whiche tempta|cion . & if hym selfe procure thilke temptacioun or by the ex|citynge of other folke / or if he synne with a woman [b]y force / or by hire owne assente . [974] or if the woman maugre hire hed[e] hath be aforced or noon this shalle she telle / for couetise / or for pouerte / & if it was hire procurynge or noon / & swiche maner harneys // [975] The seuenthe circumstaunce is in what maner he h[ath] doon his synne / & how that she hath suffred that folke han [doon] to hire / [976] The same shalle the man tellen pleynly with alle [cir]cumstaunces . & whether he hath synned with comoun borde[l] women or noon / [977] or doon his synne in holy tymes or noon / or by forn his shrifte / or after his lattere shryfte / [978] & hath parauenture broken therfore his penaunce enyoyned / by whoos helpe & whoos counseile . bi sorcerie or crafte al moste be tolde / [979] Alle these thynges after that they ben grete or smale . engreggen the conscience of man . & eke the preest . that is thy Iuge may the better ben auysed of hise Iugement . in yeuynge of thy penaunce . and [t]hat is after thy contricioun / [980] For vnderstonde wele that after tyme that a man hath defouled his bapteme by synne . if he wole come to sauacioun . ther is noon other wey . but be penitence and shrifte & be satisfaccioun / [981] & namely by the twoo // If ther be a confessour to whiche he may shryue hym / And the Thridde if he haue lyfe to performe it /

[982] Thanne shalle men loke & considere if he wole make a trewe & profitable confessioun; ther moste ben iiij. condiciouns // [983] Firste it mote ben in sorwefull bitternesse of herte / As seide te kynge Ezechiel to god / I wole remembre me alle the yeres of my lyfe in bitternesse of myn herte / [984] This condicion of bitter|nesse hath .v. signes // The firste is that confession moste be shamefaste nat for to kouere ne hide his synne / but for he hath agilte his god & defouled his soule / [985] And here of seith seint Augustyn / The herte trauailleth for shame of his synne / And for he hath grete shame-fastnesse / he is digne to haue grete mercy of god / [986] Swiche was ye confessioun of the publican . that wolde nat heue vp his eyen to heuen . For he hadde offended god of heuen / For whiche shamefastnesse; he had a noon the mercy of god / [987] And therfore seyth seint Augustyn that swiche shamefaste folke ben nexte foryefnesse & remission // [988] Another signe is humylite of Confession / Of which seith seint Petir: humbleth yow vnder the myght of god / the hond of god is myghty in confession; For therby god foryeueth the synnes For he allone hath the power / [989] And this humylyte shall ben in hert & in signe outwarde / For right as he hath humylyte to god in hert; right so sholde he humble his body outwarde to the preest thatte sitte in goddis place / [990] For whiche in no maner sith that criste ys souereyn & the preest mene & mediatour bi|twixe criste & the synnere / & the synner is the laste by wey of reson / [991] thanne sholde nat the synner sitte as hye as his confessours. but knele byforn hym. or at his feet. but if maladye distorbed it / For he shalle nat take kepe who sitte there. but in whoos place that he sitteth // [992] A man that hath trespased to a lorde / & cometh for to axe mercy & maken his acorde & sette hym doun by the lorde; men wolde holden hym outrageous & nat worthy so sone for to haue remission ne mercy [993] The thridde signe is. that thy shrifte sholde be full of teeris. if men may. & if he may nat wepe with his bodely eyen; late hym wepe in his herte / [994] swiche was the confession of seint Petir / For after that he hadde forsake ihesu criste; he wente oute & weepe bitterly [995] The ferthe signe is / that he ne lette nat for his shame to shewe his confession / [996] Swiche was the confession of the Mawdeleyne that ne spared for no shame of hem that weren atte feste for to goo to oure lorde ihesu criste & byknowe to hym hir synne // [997] The fifte signe is that a man or woman be obeissaunt to receyue the penaunz that hym is enyoyned / For certes Ihesu criste for the giltes of o man was obedient to his deeth /

[998] The seconde condicion of verrey confession is that it be hastely don / For certes if a man hadde a dedly wounde. euer the lenger that he tarieth to warisse hym selfe the more wolde it corrupte & haste hym to his deeth / and eke ye wounde woude be the werse for to hele / [999] And right so farith synne. that longe tyme is in a man vnshewid / [1000] Certe a man ough[t] hastely shewyn his synnes For many causes. as for drede of deth that ofte sodeynly. And in no certeyne what tyme it shal be ne in what place / & eke the drecchyng of o synne draweth in a noth[er] [1001] And eke the lenger he tarieth; the forther he is fro criste. And if he abide vnto his laste day; scarsly may he shryue hym or re|membre hym of his synnes. or repente for the greuous malad[ye] of his deeth. [1002] And for as myche as he hath nat in his lyfe herkened Ihesu criste . . . . .no gap in the MS. at his laste day & scarsly wole he herkene hym [1003] And vndirstonde that this condicion moste haue .iiij. thynges // // Thy shrifte moste be purueyd by-forn and auysed / For wikked haste dooth noo profite. And that a man konne shryue hym of his synnes. be it of pride or enuye. & so forth. with the spices & circumstaunces / [1004] and that he haue comprehended in his mynde the nombre & the grettenes of his synnes and how longe that he hath leyn in synne [1005] & eke that he be contryte of hise synnes and in stedefaste purpos by the grace of god neuer eft to falle in synne // And eke that he drede. & countrewaite hym selfe & that he flee the occasions of synne to whiche he is enclyned // [1006] Also that thow shalte shryue the of alle thy synnes to oo man // And nat a parce[l] to oo man. & nat a parcel to a nother. that is to vndirstonde in entent to departe thy confessioun as for shame or drede / For it nys butte stranglynge of thy soule / [1007] For certis Ihesu criste is intierly al good & in hym is noon inperfeccion / And therfore outher he foryeueth alle parfitly. or elles neuer a dele. [1008] I sey nat that if thow be assigned to the penitauncer for certeyn synne / that thow arte bounde too shewe hym alle the remenaunt of thy synnes of whiche thow haste be shreuen of thy curate / but if it lyke the of thyn humylite this is noo departynge of thy shrifte. [1009] Ne I ne sey nat ther as I speke of dyuiysioun of confes|sion. that if thow haue licence for to shryue the to a discreet & an honest preest where thee lyketh / & eke by the licence of thy curat that thow ne maiste wele shryue the to hym of alle thy synnes / [1010] but late noo blot byhynde / ne late noo synne vntoolde. Asfer as thow hastee remem|braunce / [1011] And whan thow shalte be shryue to thy curat. telle hym alle thy synne that thow haste doon / sith thowe were laste y-shryuen / Al this is no wikked intente of dyuysion of shrifte //

[1012] Also the verrey shrifte axeth certeyne con|dicions [F]yrste that thow shryue the by thy free wille nat constrayned. ne for shame of folke. ne for maladie or swiche thynges / For it is reson that he that trespaseth by his free wille; he mote be his free wille confesse his trespace / [1013] Noon other man shalle tellen his synne but he hym selfe / Ne he shal nat naite or denye his synne. ne wrath hym agayn the preest for hise amonestynge to lete synne // [1014] The secound condicion is / that thy shryfte be laweful. that is to seyn that thow that shryuest the & eke the preste that hureth thy confession be verrely in the feith of holy chirche [1015] And that a man ne be nat despeired of the mercye of Ihesu criste as kaym or Iudas / [1016] And eke a man mote accuse hym selfe of his owne trespace / & nat a nother / but he shalle blame .and. wite hym selfe & his owne malice of his synne & noon other / [1017] But natheles but if a nother man be occasion or enticere of his synne or that the estate of a persone be swiche. thurgh whiche his synne is agreggyd / or ellys that he may nat pleynly shryue hym hym but he telle the persone with whiche he hath synned; than may he telle it. [1018] so that his entente be nat to bakbite the .persone. but oonly to declaren his con|fession /

[1019] Thow ne shalte natte eke make no lesynges in thy confessioun for humylite / parauenture to seyn that thow haste doon synnes. of whiche thow were neuer gilti // [1020] For seint Augustyn seith. yf thow be cause of humylite makest lesynges on thy selfe thogh that thow ne were nat in synne byforn; yet arte thow thanne in synne thurgh thy lesynges // [1021] Thow moste eke shewe thy synnes by thyn owne propre Mouth / but if thow be woxen dombe. & nat be no lettre // for thow haste doon the synne; thow shalte haue the shame // [1022] [T]how shalte nat eke peynte thy confession by faire subtile wordes [to] kouere the moore thy synne / For thanne bygyleste thow thy selfe [a]nd nat the preest / Thow most telle it platly. be it neuer so foule ne so horrible // [1023] Thow shalte eke shryue the to a preest / that is discrete to counseile the // And eke thow shalt nat shryue thee for veyn glorie. ne for ypocrisie. ne for no cause. but only for the doute of Ihesu criste & the hele of thy soule // [1024] Thow shalt nat eke renne to the preest sodeynly to telle hym lyghtly thy synne. as who so telleth a Iape / or a tale / but auysely & with grete deuocion / [1025] and generally shryue the ofte. if thow ofte falle; ofte thow aryse be confession / [1026] And though thow shryue the ofter thanne ones of synne of whiche thow haste be shryuen. it is the more meryte / And as seith seint Augustyn. thow shalt haue the more lightly relesyng & grace of god bothe of synne & of peyne / [1027] And certes oones in a yere atte leste weye it is lawefull / for to ben housled / for soothly onys a yere. alle thynges renouellen.

[1028] Now haue I tolde of verrey con[fes]sion that is the seconde partie of penitence

De tercia parte penitencie

[1029] The thridde partie of penitence is Satisffaccion. And that stant generally in almesse. & bodely peyne // [1030] Now ben there .iij. maner of Almesses. Contricion of herte. where a man offreth hym selfe to god /. Another is to haue pite of his neighebores / The thridd[e] is in yeuynge good counseile & comfort goostly & bodyly where men han nede. and namely in sustenaunce of mannes foode // [1031] And take kep[e] a man hath nede of these thynges. generally he hath nede of fode // h[e] hath nede of clothynge & herberwe / he hath nede of charitable conseile & visytynge in prison. & Maladie. & sepulture of his dede body / [1032] And if thow maist nat visite the needfull with thy personee visite hym by thy message and thy yeftes / [1033] These ben general almesses or werkys of charite of hem that han temporel rechesse or discrecion in conseillynge / Of these werkes shaltow heren at the day of dome //

[1034] These Almesses shaltow doon of thynne owne propre thynges & hastyfly and priuely if thow maiste / [1035] But natheles if thou maist nat do pryuely; thow shalt nat forbere to doon thyn almesse. though men se it. so that it be nat doon for thanke of ye worlde but oonly for thanke of Ihesu criste. [1036] For as witnesseth sei[nt] Mathew .5to. A cite may nat ben hydde that is sette on a Mountayne ne men lyght nat a lanterne. & putte it vnder a busshel. but men. se[t] it on a Candel|styke to lyghten the men in the hous // [1037] Ryght soo shal youre lyght lighten byforn men. that they may sen youre good werkys & glorifien youre fader that is in heuene //

[1038] Now as to speke of bodyly peyne it stante in praieris in wakynges in fastynges & in v[er]tuouse techynges of orisons // [1039] ye shulle vndirstonde that orison[s] or preiers is for to seyn. a pitous wille of herte that redresse [MS. torn] god & expressith it by worde outwarde to remoeue harmes. & t[o] han thynges espirituel & durable. and somtyme temporel thynges / [of] whiche orisons. certes in the orison of the Pater noster. hath Ihesu criste enclosed moost thynges // [1040] Certes it is priuelegged of .iij. thynges in his dignite / for whiche it is more digne / thanne any other praier for Ihesu criste hym selfe maked it / [1041] And it is short For it sholde be koude the more lightly / And forto witholde it the more esely in herte / & helpen hym selfe the oftere with the orison / [1042] & for a man sholde be the lasse wery to sey it / And for a man may nat excuse hym to lerne it. it is so shorte. & so esy / And for it comprehendeth in it sel[f] alle gode preiers / [1043] The exposicion of this holy praiere / that is so excellent & digne I be-take to the maistris of theologie. saues thus moch wole I seyn. that whan thow praiest that god sholde foryeue th[e] thy giltes. as thow foryeuest hem that agilten to the; be full wele ware. that thow ne be nat oute of charite / [1044] This holy oriso[n][Christchurch MS. has lost 10 leaves.] [amenysshith eke veniall synnes and therfore hit apperteyneth specially to penitence /

[1045] this prayer most be trewly seide and in verrey feyth / and that men prayen to god ordinatly and dis|cretely and devoutly And all wey a man shall put his wille to be subiecte to þe will of god / [1046] this orisone most eeke be seide with gret humblenes and full pure / honestly and not to the anoyaunce of any man or woman hit most eeke be contynued with the workes of charite / [1047] hit avayleth eeke ageyne the vices of the soule / For as seyth Seynt Ierome / bi fastynge bene savid the vices of the flesshe / and by prayer the vices of the soule //

[1048] Aftyr this thou shalt vnderstonde that bodely peyne stondith in wakynge for Ihesu Crist seith / waketh and prayeth þat ye ne enter in wicked temptacioun / [1049] ye shal vndirstonde that fast|yng stondith also in iij thynges/in forberyng of bodely metes & drynkes and in forberyng of worldelye iolite / and in for|beringe of dedely synne . . . . .no gap in the MS. with his mygh /

[1050] And thou shalt vndirstonde that god ordeyned fastyng / and to fastynge apparteyneth .iiij. thynges / [1051] largenes to pore folke / gladnes of herte / spirituall not to Anggrie / ne anoyed ne gruche for he fastith / and alle for semblable houre for to ete by mesure / that is for to seye A man sholde nat ete in vntyme ne sitte no lenger at his table to ete for he fasteth //

[1052] Then thou shalt vnderstond that bodely peyne stonte in disciplyne or techyng bi worde or bi wrytyng or bi ensaumple / Also in werynge of heyres or of stamyn or of habergions on her naked flesshe for cristes sake And suche maner of penaunces / [1053] but ware the wel that suche maner of penaunces on thy flesshe ne make not thyn herte bittyr or Angre or noyed of thy silf / for bettir is to cast awaye thyn heire than for to cast the swet|nes of ihesu crist [1054] And therfore seith Seynt Poule / cloth you as they that bene chosyn of god in herte of misericorde debonarite sufferaunce / and suche maner of clothyng of whiche Ihesus Crist is most apayed than of his here or of his habourgioun or hawberkes //

[1055] then is disciplyne eke in knockyng of thy brest in scourginge with yerdes / in knelynges / in tribulaciouns / [1056] in suffering paciently wronges that bene done to hym / and eke in pacient sufferaunce of maladye / or lesynge of worldely Catell / or of wiff or children / or other freendes /

[1057] Then shalt thou vndirstonde whiche thynges distourbyn penaunce / and this is in .iiij. maners that is drede shame hope and wanhope that is disperacioun / [1058] & for to speke first of drede for whiche he wenith that he may suffre no penaunce / [1059] There ageyns is remedie / for to thynke þat bodye penaunce is but shorte and litel at regarde of þe peyne of helle / that is cruell and so longe that it lastith withoute eende /

[1060] Nowe ageyns the shame that a man hath to shryve hym and namely thes ypocrytes that wolde beholde so parfite that they haue no nede to shryve hem / [1061] ageyns that shame sholde a man thynke that by waye of reasoun that he that hath nat bene shamed to do foule thynges Certes hym ouht nat to be ashamed to do fayre thynges / and that is confessions // [1062] A man sholde eeke thynk that god seeth and wot alle thy thouhtes and alle thy workes / Fro hym may no thynge be hide ne coverid / [1063] Men sholde eke remembre hem of the shame that is to come atte the daye of dome to hem that be nat penitent and shryven in this present lyff / [1064] For all the creaturs in erthe and in helle shull seene appertely alle that he hydeth in this worlde /

[1065] Now for to speke of the hope of hem þat bene negligent and slowe to shryve hem / hit stont in .ij. maners / [1066] the tone is þat he hopith for to lyve longe / and for to porchace moche riches for his delyte / and then he wolde shryve hym & as he seith he may as hym semyth than tyme Inouh for to come to shrifte / [1067] Another is surquedre that he hath in cristis mercye [1068] Ageyne the fyrst vice / he shall thynke that our lyff is in no sekyrnes / and eke that alle the riches in this worlde ben in aventure and passen as a shaddowe in the walle [1069] as seith Seynte Gregorie that hit perteynith to the grete rihtwousnes of god / that nevir shall the peyne stynte of hem that nevir wolde withdrawe hem from synne and rancour but aye contynue in synne / For thilke perpetual wille to done synne they shull haue perpetuall peyne //

[1070] Wanhope is in .ij. maners / the fyrst wan|hope is in the mercie of Crist / that othir is that they thynke that they ne myght not longe preserve in good|nes / [1071] The fyrst wanhope commeth of that he demyth that he hath synned so gretely / and so ofte / and so longe lyen in synne þat he shall not be savid / [1072] Certes ageyns this cursid wanhope sholde he thynke that the passioun of our lorde Ihesu Crist is more stronge for to vnbynde than synne is stronge /no gap in MS. [1073] Ageyns þe secounde wanhope he shall thynke that as ofte as he fallith he may arrise ageyne by penitence / and thouh he nevir so longe haue leyne in synne / the mercie of god is allwey redye to receyve hym to mercie / [1074] Ageyns that wanhope that he demeth that he sholde not longe persevere in goodnes / he shall thynke the febylnes of the devill may no thynge done but men woll suffyr hym [1075] & eke he shall haue strength of the help of god and of alle holy chirche and of the proteccioun of alle aungells yff hym lyst //

[1076] Then shull men vndirstonde what is the rewarde of penaunce and aftir the worde off Ihesu Criste hit is the endeles blysse of hevyne [1077] ther ioye hath no contrarie of no wo ne grevance / there alle harmes bene passid of this present lyff / there as is sykernes frome the peyne off helle / there as the blissidfull companye that reioysen evirmore eueryche of others ioye / [1078] there as the bodye of a man that whilom was foule and dyrke is more clerer than the sonne / there as the bodye was whilom seke frel febyll and mortall / is inmortall and so stronge and so hole that there may no thyng apayre hit / [1079] ther as is neithyr hungyr nor thurst ne colde / but euery soule replenysshid with the sight of the parfite knowynge of god / [1080] This blessid regne mowe men purchace by poverte espirituall and the glorie bi lowly|nes / The plente of ioye by hungyr and thurst/ and the reste by travell / and the lyff by dethe and mortificacioun off synne Amen./

Hic capit Autor licenciam./

[1081] Nowe I praye to them alle that herken this litel tretys or redyn that yff ther be any thynge in hit þat lyketh hem / that therof thei thanken oure lord ihesu crist of whom proceedith alle witte and alle goodnes / [1082] And yf ther be any thynge that displeseth them / I praye them also erecte it to the diffaute off myn vnkonnynge / and nat to my will / that wolde feyne haue done bettir yif I hadde had konnynge [1083] For oure booke seith Alle that is wryten / is writen for oure doctryne and that is myn entent / [1084] Wherfore I beseche you mekely for the mercye of god that ye pray for me / that crist haue mercie on me and forgyff me my giltes [1085] and namely of myn translaciouns and of myn enditynge of worldely vanytes the whiche I revoke in my de|tracciouns / [1086] As the book off Troilys / The booke also of Fume / The booke of .xxv. ladies / The booke of the Duchesse / The booke of Seynt Valentynes day / And the parlement of byrdes / The Talys of Caunter|bury thilke that sounden vnto synne / [1087] The booke of the leon / And many anothir booke yff they were in my remembraunce And many a songe / And many a lechourous lay / Crist for his grete mercie foryeve me the synne // [1088] But off the translacioun off Boes consolacioun And othir bookes of legendis and off Seyntes / And of Omelies / And moralite / And deuocioun / [1089] that thanke I oure lord Ihesu Crist and his blysfull moder / and alle the Seyntis in hevyn / [1090] beseekyng them / that thei from hens forth vnto my lyves eende / sende me grace off . . . . .no gap in the MS. verray penaunce Con|fessioun and Satisfaccioun / to done in this present lyff / [1091] thoruh the benygne grace of hym that is kyng of kynges / and preste off alle preestis / that bouht vs with the precious bloode off his herte / [1092] For that I mot bene oone of hem att the laste daye off dome that shall be savid Qui cum deo patre & spiritu sancto viuis & regnas deus Per omnia secula Amen

Explicit narracio Rectoris et ultima inter nar|raciones huius libri de quibus composuit Chaucer./ cuius Anime propicietur deus / AMEN.[Follows, in Brit. Mus. Addit. 5140, Lydgate's Siege of Thebes, incomplete:Incipit ultima de fabulis Cantuarie translata et prolata per Dompnum Iohannem Lidgate monachum in redeundo a Cantuaria. Incipit pro|logus./]

APPENDIX TO GROUP A. [THE SPURIOUS TALE OF GAMELYN.] Her endeth o tale of the Cooke and her folowyth a nother tale of the same cooke Lythen and listeneþe and harkeneþe Arighte And ye schulne here of A doughty knyghte Sir Iohan of Boundis was his name He couþe of norture And mochell of game Thre sonnes þe knyghte hadde with his bodye wonne The eldeste was a mocche schrewe And soone he bigonne His breþerne louede wele her ffadre And of hym were Agaste The eldeste desaruede his ffaders Curse And hadde hitt atte þe laste The gode knyghte his ffadre lyuede so ȝore That deþe was hym comen And handelede hym ffulle sore The gode knyghte carede sore syke þere he laye How his chyldron schulde lyuen Affter his daye He hadde bene wyde where buttenon husbande he was[Reg. 17 D. xv. ends.] All the londe that he hadde it was purchas.[Harl. 1758, begins.] ffayn he wolde it were dressid among hem alle. That eche of hem had his part as it myght falle. Tho sent he in to contre after[r is for r/] wise knyghtis. To helpe delen his londis and dressen hem to rightis. He sent hem word bi lettres thei schulde hye blyue. Yf thei wolde speke with hym while he was on lyue. Tho the knyghtis herden sike that he lay. Had thei no rest nother[NB. all r = MS r/] nyght ne day. Till thei come to hym ther he lay stille. On his deth bed to a-bide goddis wille. Then seide the good knyght sike ther he lay. Lordis I yow warne for sothe with-out nay. I may no lenger lyuen here in this stounde. ffor thorough goddis will deth drawes me to grounde. Ther nas non of hem alle that herde hym a right. That thei ne had routhe of that ilke knyght. And seiden sir/ for goddis loue ne dismay you noght. God may done bote of bale that is now wrought. Than spake the good knyght sike there he lay. Bote of bale god may sende I wot it is no nay. But I beseke you knyghtis for the loue of me. Goth and dressith my londis among my sones thre. And for the loue of god delith not hem a mys. And foryeteth not Gamelyn my yong sone that is. Taketh hede to that one as well as to that other. Seeld ye seen any heier helpen his brother/./ Tho leten thei the knyght lyen that was not in hele. And wentyn in to counseile his londis for to dele. ffor to delen hem alle to oon that was here thoght. And for Gamelyn was yongist he schulde haue noght. All the londe that ther was thei dalten it in two. And letyn Gamelyn the yong with-outen lond go. And eche of hem seide to other full lowde. His brethren myght yeue hym londe when he good cowde. When thei had delid the londe at here wille. Thei comen to the knyght there he lay stille. And tolde hym a-non how thei had wroght. And the knyght ther he lay likid it right noght. ¶ Than seide the knyght be seynt Martyn. ffor all that ye haue don yet is the londe myn. ffor goddis loue neighboris stondith stille. And I will delyn my lond right aftir my wille. Iohn my eldist sone schall haue plowes fyue. That was myn fadris heritage while he was on lyue. And my myddlist sone fyue plowes of londe. That I halp for to gete with my right honde. And all myn other purchas of londis and ledis. That I be-quethe Gamelyn and all my good stedis. And beseke you good men that lawe con of londe. ffor Gamelyns loue that my quest stonde. Thus dalt the knyght his londe bi his day. Right on his deth bed sike ther he lay. And sone aftirward he lay stoon stille. And died whan tyme come as it was cristes wille. A-noon as he was deed and vndir gras graue. Sone the eldir brother giled the yong knaue He toke in to his honde his londe and his lede. And Gamelyn hym self to clothen and to fede. He clothed hym and fedde hym yuell and eke wrothe. And lete his londis for-fare and his housis bothe His parkes and his wodis and dide no thyng welle. And sithen he it a-bought on his owne felle. So long was Gamelyn in his brothris halle. ffor the strengest of good will thei doutedyn hym alle. Ther was none ther yn nother yong ne olde. That wolde wrath Gamelyn were he neuyr so bolde. ¶ Gamelyn stood on a day in his brothers yerde. And bigan with his honde to hondill his berde. He thought on his londis that lay vnsawe. And his faire okis that doune were drawe. His Parkis were broken and his dere reuyd. Of all his good stedis noon was hym bi-leuyd./ His housis were vn-hiled and full yuell dight Tho thought Gamelyn it went not a-right. Aftir-warde cam his brother walkyng thare. And seide to Gamelyn is our mete yare. Tho wrathed hym Gamelyn and swore bi goddis book. Thou schalt go bake thi self I will not be thi Cook. Now brother Gamelyn how vnswarest thou now. Thou spakest neuyr suche a worde as thou dost now. Be my feith seide Gamelyn now me thynketh nede. Of alle the harmes that I haue I toke neuyr yet hede. My parkis/ ben broken and my deer bi-reuyd. Of myn armes and my stedis noght is me bileuyd. All that my fadir me bi-quath all goth to schame. And therfore haue thou goddis curs brother be thyn name./ Than spake his brother that rape was of rees. Stonde stille gadlyng and holde thi pees. Thou schalt be fayn to haue thi mete and thi wede. What spekest thou gadlyng of londe or of lede. Than seide Gamelyn the childe that was yeng. Cristes curs mote he haue that clepeth me gadlyng. I am no worse gadlyng ne no worse wight. But borne of a lady and geten of a knyght. Ne dorst he not to Gamelyn neuer a foot go. But clepid to hym his men and seide to hem tho. Goth and betith this boy and reueth hym his witte. And lete hym lerne a nother tyme to vnsware me bette. Then seide the childe yong Gamelyn. Cristis curs mote thou haue brother art thou myn. And if I schall algate be betyn a-noon. Cristes curs mote thou haue but thou be that oon. And a-non his brother in that grete hete. Made his men to fette staues Gamelyn to bete. When euery of hem had a staff nomen. Gamelyn was ware tho he sigh hem comen. Tho Gamelyn sigh hem comen he lokid ouer all. And was war of a pestell stood vndir the wall./ Gamelyn was light and thider gon to lepe. And droff alle his brethers men right sone on an hepe And lokid as a wilde lion and leide on good wone. Tho his brother sigh that he began to gone. He fleigh vp in to a lofte and schette the dore faste. Thus Gamelyn with his pestell made hem alle a-gaste. Some for Gamelyns loue and some for eie. Alle thei drowhen hem to halues tho he gan to pleie. What now seide Gamelyn euyll mote ye the. Will ye begynne contek and so sone fle. Gamelyn sought his brother whither he was flowe. And saugh where he loked oute at a wyndowe. Brother seide Gamelyn come a litell nere. And I will teche the to pleie at the bokelere. His brother hym answerde and seide be seynt Richere. While that pestell is in thi honde I will come no nere. Brother I will make thi pees I swere bi cristes ore Cast a-weie the pestell and wrath the no more. I most nede seide Gamelyn wrath me at ones. ffor thou wolde make thi men to breke my bones. Ne had I had mayn and myght in myn armes. To haue putte hem fro me thei wolde haue do me harmes. ¶ Gamelyn seide his brother be thou not wroth. ffor to seen the haue harme me it were right loth. I ne dide it noght brother but for a fondyng. ffor to loken if thou art strong and art so yeng. Come a-doune then to me and graunt me my bone. Of oo thyng I will the axe and we schull saught sone. Doune than come his brother that fekill was and felle. And was swithe sore a-ferd of the pestelle. He seide brothir Gamelyn axe me thi bone. And loke thou me blame but I it graunt sone./ Than seide Gamelyn brother y-wis. ¶ And we schull be at one thou muste graunte me this. All that my fadir me by-quath while that he was on lyue. Thou muste do me it haue yef we schull not stryue. That schalt thou haue Gamelyn I swere be cristes ore. All that thi fadir the by-quath though thou woldest haue more. Thi londe that lieth leye well it schall be sowe. And thyn housis reisid vp that ben leide full lowe. Thus seide the knyght to Gamelyn with mouth. And thought on falsnes as he well couth. The knyght thought on treson and Gamelyn on noon. And wente and kissed his brother and whan thei were at oon. Allas yong Gamelyn no thyng he ne wiste. With suche fals treson his brother hym kiste ¶ Lyitheneth and listeneth and holdith your tonge. And ye schull here talkyng of Gamelyn the yonge. Ther was ther be siden cried a wrastlyng And therfore ther was sette a Ram and a Ryng./ And Gamelyn was in will to wende therto. ffor to preuyn hys myght what he coude do. Brother seide Gamelyn be seynt Richere. Thou moste lene me to nyght a litell cursere. That is fresch to the sporis on for to ride. I most on an erand a litell here be side. Bi god seide his brother of stedis in my stalle. Go and chese the the best spare noon of hem alle. Of stedis and of cursers that stonden hem be side. And telle me good brother whider thou wilt ride. Here be side brother is cried a wrastlynge. And there fore schall be set a Ram and Rynge. Moche worschip it were brother to vs alle. Might I the Ram and the Ryng bryngen home to this halle./ A stede ther was sadelid smertly and skete. Gamelyn dide a peire of sporis faste on his fete. He sette his foot in the stirop the stede he bi-strood. And toward the wrastlynge the yong childe rood. Tho Gamelyn the yonge was riden oute at gate. The fals knyght his brother loked yet aftir thate. And besought ihesu crist that is heuyn kyng. He myght breke his nekke in that wrastlyng. As sone a Gamelyn come there the place was. He light downe of his stede and stood on the gras. And there he herde a ffrankeleyn welaweie syng. And bi-gan bitterly his hondis for to wryng. Gode man seide Gamelyn whi makist thou this fare. Is ther no man that may you helpen out of care. Allas seide the ffrankeleyn that euyr I was bore. ffor twey stalworth sones I wene that I haue lore. A Champion is in the place that hath wrought me sorowe. ffor he hath slayne my two sones but yef god hem borowe. I woll yeue ten pounde bi ihesu criste and more. With the nones that I fonde a man to handle hym sore. Gode man seide Gamelyn wilt thou well done. Holde my hors while my man draweth of my schone. And helpe my man to kepe my clothes and my stede. And I will in to place gone to loke if I may spede. By god seide the ffrankeleyn it schall be done. I will my self be thi man to drawe of thi schone. And wende thou in to place ihesu criste the spede. And drede not of thi clothis ne of thi good stede. Barfoot and vngirt Gamelyn yn cam. Alle that were in the place hede of hym thei nam. How he dorste auntre hym to done his myght. That was so doughti a Champioun in wrastlyng and in fight. Vp sterte the Champion rapeli a-noon. Toward yong Gamelyn he bi-gan to goon. And seide who is thi fadir and who is thi sire. ffor sothe thou arte a gret fooll that thou come here. ¶ Gamelyn answerde the Champion tho. Thou knewe well my fadir while he couthe go. Whiles he was on lyue be seynt Martyn. Sir Ion of Boundis was his name and I Gamelyn. ffelawe seide the Champion so mote I thryue. I knewe well thi fadir whiles he was on lyue. And thi self Gamelyn I will that thou it here. While thou were a yong boy a moche schrewe thou were. Than seide Gamelyn and swore bi cristes ore. Now I am older wax thou schalt fynde me a more. By god seide the Champion well come mote thou be. Come thou ones in my honde thou schalt neuer the. ¶ It was well with-yn the nyght and the mone schone. When Gamelyn and the Champion to gider gon gone. The Champion cast tornes to Gamelyn that was prest. And Gamelyn stood and bade hym done his best. Than seide Gamelyn to the Champioun. Thou art fast a-boute to bryng me a-doun. Now I haue proued mony tornes of thyne. Thou most he seide proue oon or two of myne. Gamelyn to the Champion yede smertly a-none. Of all the tornes that he couthe he schewid hym but one. And kest hym on the lift side that thre ribbes to-brake. And therto his one arme that yaf a gret crake. Than seide Gamelyn smertly a-noon. Schall it be holde for a cast or ellis for noon. By god seide the Champion whether it be. He that cometh ones in thi honde schall he neuyr the. Than seide the ffrankeleyn that had his sones there. Blessid be thou Gamelyn that euyr thou bore were. The ffrankeleyn seide to the Champion on hym stood hym noon eye. This is yong Gamelyn that taught the this pleye. A-yen vnswarid the Champion that liked no thyng well. He is alther maister and his pleie is right fell. Sithen I wrastlid first it is gone yore. But I was neuyr in my lyf handelid so sore. Gamelyn stood in the place a-non with-out serke. And seide if ther be mo lete hem come to werke. The Champion that payned hym to wirke sore. Hit semeth bi his contenaunce that he will no more. Gamelyn in the place stood still as stoon. ffor to a-bide wrastlyng but ther come noon. Ther was non with Gamelyn that wolde wrastle more. ffor he handlid the Champion so wondirly sore. Two gentill men yemed the place. Come to Gamelyn god yeue hym good grace. And seide to hym do on thi hosen and thi schoon. fforsothe at this tyme this faire is doon./ And than seide Gamelyn so mote I well fare. I haue not yet hauyndell sold my ware. ¶ Tho seide the Champion so brok I my swere. He is a fooll that ther-of bieth thou sellest it so dere. Tho seide the frankeleyn that was in moche care. ffelaw he seide whi lakkest thou this ware. Be seynt Iame in Gales that mony man hath soght. Yet is it to good chepe that thou hast boght. Tho that wardeyns were of that wrastlyng. Come and brought Gamelyn the Ram and the Ryng. . . . . . . . . . .no gap in the MS. A Gamelyn thought it was a faire thyng. And went with moche ioye home in the mornyng. His brother sigh where he came with the gret route. And bad schit the gate and holde hym with-oute. The porter of his lord was sore a-gast. And sterte a-noon to the gate and lokked it fast. ¶ Now litheþ and listeneth bothe yong and olde. And ye schull here gamyn of Gamelyn the bolde. Gamelyn come to þe yate for to haue come yn. Than was it schit fast with a pyn. Than seide Gamelyn porter vndo the yate. ffor a gode mannes sone stondeþ ther-ate. Than answarde the porter and sware bi goddis berde. Thou ne schalt Gamelyn come in to this yerde. Thou lixt seide Gamelyn so broke I my chyn. He smote the wiket with his foot and brake a-waye the pyn. The porter sigh tho it myght no better be. He sette foot on erthe and be-gan to flee. Be my fay seide Gamelyn that traueile is lore. ffor I am on foote as light as thou haddist it swore Gamelyn ouer-toke the porter and his tene wrake. And girt hym in the nekke that the boon to-brake. And toke hym by that one arme and threwe hym in a welle./ .Vij.C. fadome it was depe as I haue herd telle. Whan Gamelyn the yong thus had pleide his plaie. Alle that in the yeerde were drowen hem a-waie. Thei dredyn hym full sore for werke that he wrought. And for the faire companye that he thider brought. Gamelyn yede to the yate and lete it vp wide. He lete yn alle that gone wolde or ride. And seide ye be welcome with-out any greue. ffor we will be maisters here and axe no man leue. Yestirday I left seide yong Gamelyne. In my brother seler fyue toun wyne. I will not this companye parten on twyn. And ye will don aftir me while sope is ther-yn. And if my brother gruche or make foule chere. Other of spence of mete and drynke that we spende here. I am our catour and bere our alther purs. He schall haue for his grucchyng seynt Marie curs. Mi brother is a nygon I swere be cristes ore. And we will spende largely that he hath sparid yore. And who that maketh grucchyng that we here dwelle. He schall to the porter in to the draw welle. Vij. daies and .vij. nyght Gamelyn helde his fest. With moche solace was there and non chest. In a litell toret his brother lay steke. And sigh hem waste his good and dorst not speke. ¶ Erly in a mornyng on the .viij. day. The gestis come to Gamelyn and wolde gone here way. Lordis seide Gamelyn will ye so hye. All the wyne is not yet dronke so broke I myn eye. Gamelyn in his herte was full wo. When his gestis toke here leue fro hym for to go. He wolde thei had dwellid lenger and thei seide nay. But bi-taught Gamelyn god and good day. Thus made Gamelyn his fest and brought it well to ende. And after his gestis toke leue to wende. ¶ Litheth and listenyth and holdith your tonge. And ye schull here gamen of Gamelyn the yonge. Herkenyth lordyngis and listneth a-right. When alle gestis were gone how Gamelyn was dight./ All the while that Gamelyn helde his mangerie. His brothir thought on hym be wreke with his trecherie. Tho Gamelyns gestis were riden and gone. Gamelyn stood a-none allone frend had he none. Tho aftir fell sone with-yn a litill stonde. Gamelyn was taken and full hard bonde. fforth come the fals knyght out of the solere. To Gamelyn his brother he yede full nere. And seide to Gamelyn who made the so bolde. ffor to stroien my stour of my housholde. Brother seide Gamelyn wrath the right noght. ffor it is mony day gone sith it was boght. ffor brother þe profite/ thou hast had be seynt Richere. Of .xv. plowes of londe this sixtene yere. And of alle the bestis thou hast forth bredde. That my fadir me bi-quath on his deth bedde. Of all this sixtene yere I yeue the the prowe. ffor the mete and the drynke that we haue spendid nowe. Than seide the fals knyght euyll mote he the. Herken brother Gamelyn what I will yeue the. ffor of my body brother here geten haue I non. I will make the myn eire I swere bi seynt Iohn. Parfay seide Gamelyn and it so be. And thou thynkist as thou seist god yelde it the. No thyng wist Gamelyn of his brother gile. Therfore he hym bi-giled in a litill while. Gamelyn seide he oo thyng I the telle. Tho thou threwe my porter in the drawe welle. I swoor in that wrath and in that gret moote. That thou schuldist be bounde both hond and foote. . . . . . . . . . .no gap in the MS. ffor to holden myn a-vow as I the bi-hote. To ben myn heire of londe hous and cote. Brother seide Gamelyn as mote I the. Thou schalt not be for-swore for the loue of me. Tho maden thei Gamelyn to sitte for he schulde not stonde. Till thei had hym bounde bothe foot and honde. The fals knyght his brother of Gamelyn was a-gast. And sent aftir feters to feteren hym fast. His brother made lesyngis on hym there he stood. And tolde hem that comen yn that Gamelyn was wood. Gamelyn stode to a post bounden in the halle. Tho that comen yn lokid on hym alle. Euer stood Gamelyn euyn vp right. But mete ne drynke had he non neither day ne nyght. Than seide Gamelyn brother be myn hals. Now I haue a-spied thou art a parti fals. Had I wist the treson that thou hast founde./ I wolde haue yeue strokis or I had be bounde. Gamelyn stoed bounde stille as ony stoon. Two daies and two nyghtis mete had he noon. Than seide Gamelyn that stoed y-bounde strong. Adam spenser me thynketh I fast to long. Adam spenser now I beseche the. ffor the moche loue my fadir loued the. Yf thou may come to the keys lese me out of bond. And I will parte with the of my fre lond. Than seide Adam that was the spenser. I haue seruyd thi brother this .xvj. yere. Yf I lete the goon out of his boure. He wolde saie aftirwarde I were a traitoure./ Adam seide Gamelyn so brok I myn hals. Thou schalt fynde my brother at the last fals. Therfore brother Adam lose me out of bondis. And I will parte with the of my fre londis. Vp suche forward seide Adam y-wis. I will do ther-to all that in me is. Adam seide Gamelyn as mote I the. I will holde the couenaunt and thou will helpe me. A-noon as Adams lord to bedde was goon. Adam toke the keyes and lete Gamelyn out a-noon. He vnlokked Gamelyn bothe hondis and feet. In hope of auauncement that he hym bi-heet. Than seide Gamelyn thankid be goddis sonde Now I am lose bothe foot and honde. Had I now eten and dronken a-right./ Ther is noon in this hous schulde bynde me this nyght. Adam toke Gamelyn as stille as ony stoon. And lad hym in to spense raply a-noon. And sette hym to soper right in a pryue stede. He bad hym do gladly and Gamelyn so dide. A-noon as Gamelyn had eten well and fyne. And therto dronken well of the rede wyne. Adam seide Gamelyn what is now thi reed. Or I go to my brother and gird of his heed./ Gamelyn seide Adam it schall not be so. I con teche the a rede that is worth the two. I wote well for sothe that this is no nay. We schull haue a mangerie right on sonday. Abbotes and priours mony here schall be. And other men of holy chirche as I telle the. Thou schalt stonde vp bi the post as thou were bound fast. And I schall leue hem vn-loke that a-weie thou may hem cast./ Whan that thei haue eten and waschen here hondis. Thou schalt biseke hem alle to bryng the out of bondis. And if thei will borow the that were good game. Than were thou out of prison and I out of blame. And if eche of hem saie to vs nay. I schall do a nother/ I swere be this day. Thou schalt haue a good staf and I will haue a nother/ And cristes curs haue that oon that faileth that other/ Ye for god seide Gamelyn I say it for me. If I faile on my side yuell mote I the. Yf we schull algate assoile hem of here synne. Warne me brother Adam whan we schull be-gynne. Gamelyn seide Adam be seynt charite. I will warne the biforne whan it schall be. Whan I wynk on the loke for to gone. And cast a-weie thi feters and come to me a-none. Adam seide Gamelyn blessid be thy bones. That is a good counseile yeuen for the nones. Yf thei warne me to bryng me out of bendis. I will sette good strokes right on here lendis. Tho the sonday was comen and folke to the feste. ffaire thei were welcomed bothe leste and meste. And euer as thei at halle dore come yn. Thei cast here ye on yong Gamelyn. The fals knyght his brother full of trecherie. Alle the gestis that ther were at the mangerie. Of Gamelyn his brother he tolde hem with mouth. All the harme and the schame that he telle couth. Tho thei were seruyd of messis two or thre. Than seide Gamelyn how serue ye me. It is noght well seruyd bi god that all made. That I sitte fastyng and other men make glade. The fals knyght his brother ther as he stood. Tolde alle gestis that Gamelyn was wood. And Gamelyn stood stille and vnswared right noght. But Adams wordis he helde in his thoght. Tho Gamelyn gan speke deolfully with alle. To the gret lordis that seeten in the halle. Lordis he seide for cristes passion. Helpe to bryng Gamelyn out of prison. Than seide an Abbot sorow on his cheke. He schall haue cristes curs and seynt maries eke. That the out of prison beggith or borow. But euer worth hym well that doth the moche sorow. Aftir that abbot than spake a nother. I wolde thyn heed were of theigh thou were my brother. Alle that the borow foule mote hem falle. Thus thei seiden alle that were in the halle. Than seide a priour euyll mote he preue. It is gret sorow and care boy thou art on lyue. Ow seide Gamelyn so broke I my bone. Now I haue spied that frendis haue I none. Cursed mote he worth both flesch and blood. That euer doth priour or Abbot any good. Adam the spenser toke vp the cloth. And loked on Gamelyn and sigh that he was wroth. Adam on the pantrie litill thoght. But two good staues to the halle dore he broght. Adam loked on Gamelyn and he was ware a-none. And cast a-weie the feters and bi-gan to gone. Tho he cam to Adam he toke the oon staf. And bigan to worche and good strokes yaf. Gamelyn come in to the halle and Adam spenser bothe. And lokid hem a-boute as thei had ben wrothe. Gamelyn spreyneth holi water with a Oken spire. That some that stood vp right fell in the fire. Ther was no lewid man that in the halle stood. That wolde do Gamelyn any thyng but good. But stodyn be siden and lete hem both wirche. ffor thei had no reweth of men of holi chirche. Abbot or priour Monk or Chanoun. That Gamelyn ouertoke a-noon thei yeden doun. Ther was non of alle that with his staf mette. That he made hem ouerthrowe and quyt hem his dette. Gamelyn seide Adam for seynt charite. Paie good lyueray for the loue of me. And I will kepe the dore so euer here I masse./ Er thei ben assoiled ther schall noon passe. Doute the noght seide Gamelyn while we ben in fere. Kepe thou well the dore and I will worche here. By-stere the good Adam and let ther non fle. And we schull telle largely how mony that ther be. Gamelyn seide Adam do hem but good. Thei ben men of holy chirche drawe of hem no blood. Saue well the crowne and do hem no harmes. But breke both her leggis and sithen her armes. Thus Gamelyn and Adam wroght right fast. And pleide with the monkis and made hem a-gast. Thider thei come rydyng ioly with swaynes. And home a-yen thei were lad in cartis and waynes./ Tho thei hadden alle y-doo. then seide a gray ffrere. Alas sir Abbot what dide we now here. Tho that we comen hider/ it was a colde reede. Vs hadde ben better at home with water and with breede. While Gamelyn made ordris of monkis and frere. Euyr stood his brother and made foule chere. Gamelyn vp with his staf that he well knew. And girt hym in the nek that he ouer threw. A litill a-boue the girdill the rigge boon to-brast. And sette hym in the feters ther he satt arst. Sitte there brother seide Gamelyn. ffor to colen thi body as I dide myn. As swithe as thei haddyn wroken hem on her foon. Thei asked water and waschen a-noon. What some for her loue and some for her awe. Alle the seruauntis serueth hem of the best lawe. ¶ The Schereue was thenne but fyue myle. And all was tolde hym in a litell while. How Gamelyn and Adam haden doone a sory res. Bounden and wounden men a-yens the kyngis pes. Tho bi-gan sone strif for to wake. And the Schireue a-boute Gamelyn for to take. ¶ Now litheþ and listneth so god yeue you good fyne. And ye schull here good game of yong Gamelyne. ffoure and twenti yong men that helden hem full bolde. Come to the schireue and seide that thei wolde. Gamelyn and Adam fette bi her fay. The Schirreue yeue hem leue soth for to say. Thei hyeden fast wolde thei not lynne. Till thei come to the gate there Gamelyn was ynne. Thei knokkeden on the gate the porter was nyghe. And lokid out at an hole as man that was slighe. The porter had biholde hem a litull while. He louyd well Gamelyn and was drad of gile. And lete the wiket stond full stille. And asked hem with-oute what was here wille. ¶ ffor alle the gret companye than spak but oon. Vndo the gate porter and lete vs yn goon. Than seide the porter so brouke I my chyn. Ye schull saie your erand yer ye come yn. Saie to Gamelyn and Adam yf theire will be We will speke with hem two wordes or thre. ffelaw seide the porter stonde there stille. And I will wende to Gamelyn to wite his wille. In wente the porter to Gamelyn a-noon. And seide sir I warne you here be comen your foon. The Schereuys men ben atte the gate. ffor to take you both schull ye not scape. Porter seide Gamelyn so mote I well the. I will allow the thi wordis when I my tyme se. Go a-geyn to the gate and dwelle with hem a while. And thou schalt se right sone porter a gile. Adam seide Gamelyn loke the to gone. We haue foo-men atte yate and frendis neuer one. Hit ben the Schereuys men that hider ben come. Thei be swore to-gider that we schall be nome. Gamelyn seide Adam hye the right blyue. And if I faile the this day euyll mote I thryue. And we schull so welcome the Schereuys men. That some of hem schall make here beddis in the fen. At a posterne gate Gamelyn out went. And a good cartstaf in his honde hent. Adam hent sone a nother gret staf. ffor to helpen Gamelyn and good strokis yaf. Adam fell tweyne and Gamelyn fell thre. The other sette feet on erthe and bi-gan to fle. What seide Adam so euyr here I masse I haue right good wyne drynke or ye passe. Nay bi god seide thei thi drynke is not good. It wolde make a mannes brayn to lyen in his hood. Gamelyn stood stille and lokid hym a-boute. And seide the schereue cometh with a gret route. Adam seide Gamelyn what ben now thi redis. Here cometh the schereue and will haue our hedis. Adam seide to Gamelyn myn rede is now this. A-bide we no lenger lest we fare a-mys. I rede that we to wode gone or that we be founde. Better is there louse than in towne be bounde. Adam toke bi the honde yong Gamelyne./ And euery of hem drank a draught of wyne./ And after token her cours and wenten her way. Tho fonde the schereue nest but non ay. The schereue light doun and wente in to halle. And fonde the lorde feterid fast with alle. The schereue vnfeterid hym right sone a-noon. And sent aftir a leche to hele his rigge boon. ¶ Lete we now the fals knyght lie in his care. And talke we of Gamelyn and loke how he fare. Gamelyn in to the wode stalkid stille. And Adam spenser liked this ille. Adam swore to Gamelyn be seynt Richere. Now I se it is mery to be a spensere. That leuyr me were keies to bere. Than walken in this wilde wode my clothis to tere. Adam seide Gamelyn dismay the right nought. Mony a good mannys childe in care is brought. As thei stood talkyng bothen in fere. Adam herde talkyng of men and nygh hem thought thei were. Tho Gamelyn vndir wode lokid a-right. Seuyn score of yong men he sigh well dight. Alle sate at the mete compas a-boute. Adam seide Gamelyn now haue I no doute. After bale cometh bote thorogh goddis myght. Me thynke of mete and drynke I haue a sight. Adam loked tho vndir wode bough. And tho he say mete and he was glad y-nough. ffor he hoped to god to haue his dele. And he was sore a-longed after a good mele. As he seide that worde the maister outlawe. Saugh Adam and Gamelyn vndir wode schawe. Yonge men seide the maister bi the good rode. I am war of gestis god sende vs gode. Yonde ben two yonge men well a-dight. And perauenture ther ben more who so lokid a-right. A-riseth vp yong men and fette hem to me. It is good that we witen what men thei be. Vp ther stertyn seuene fro the dyner. And metten with Gamelyn and Adam spenser. Whan thei were nyghe hem than seide that one. Yeldeth vp yonge men your bowes and your flone. Than seide Gamelyn that yong was of elde. Moche sorow mote thei haue that to you hem yelde. I course non other but right my selue. Thei ye fette to you fyue than be ye twelue. Tho thei herde bi his worde that myght was yn his arme. Ther was non of hem that wolde do hem harme. But seide to Gamelyn myldely and stille. Come a-fore our maister and say to hym thi wille. Yonge men seide Gamelyn be your lewte. What man is your maister that ye with be. Alle thei answerde with-oute lesynge. Our maister is crowned of outlawis kynge. Adam seide Gamelyn go we in cristes name. He may neither mete ne drynke werne vs for schame. Yf that he be hende and come of gentill blood. He will yeue vs mete and drynke and do vs some good. Be seynt Iame seide Adam what harme that I gete. I will auenture me that I had mete. Gamelyn and Adam went forth in fere. And thei grette the maister / that thei fonde there. ¶ Than seide the maister / kyng of outlawes. What seke ye yonge men vndir wode schawes. Gamelyn answerde. the kyng with his crowne. He most nedis walke in felde that may not walke in towne. Sire we walke not here non harme to do. But if we mete a deer to schete therto. As men that ben hungry and mow no mete fynde. ¶ And ben hard be-stad vndir wode lynde. Of Gamelyn wordis the maister had reuthe. And seide ye schall haue y-nogh haue god my treuthe. He bad hem sitte doun for to take reste. And bad hem ete and drynke and that of the beste. As thei eten and dronken well and fyne. Than seide oon to a nother this is Gamelyne. Tho was the maister outlawe in to counseile nome./ And tolde how it was Gamelyn that thider was come. A-non as he herde how it was be-falle. He made hym maister vndir hym ouer hem alle. With-yn the thrid wike hym come tithyng. Tho the maister outlawe that was her kyng. That he schulde come home his pees was made. And of that good tithyng he was full glade. Tho seide he to his yong men soth for to telle. Me ben comen tithynges I may no lenger dwelle/. Tho was Gamelyn a-non with-oute tariyng. Made maister outlawe and crowned her kyng. Tho was Gamelyn crowned kyng of outlawes. And walkid a while vndir wode schawes. ¶ The fals knyght his brother was schereue and sire. And lete his brother endite for hate and for hire. Tho were his bonde-men sory and no thyng glade. When Gamelyn her lorde wolfes heed was cried and made. And sent out of his men where thei myght hym fynde. ffor to go seke Gamelyn vndir wode lynde. To telle hym tithyng the wynde was went. All his good reuyd and alle his men schent. Whan thei hadden hym founde on knees thei hem setten. And a-doun with here hood and her lorde gretten. Sir wrath yow nought for the good rode. ffor we han brought you tithyng but thei be not gode. Now is thi brother schereue and hath the baillie. And hath endited the and wolfes heed doth the crie. Allas seide Gamelyn that euer I was so slak. That I ne had broke his nekke tho I his rigge brak. Goth greteth well boþe/ housbonde/ and wif. I will be at the next schire haue god my lyf. Gamelyn cam redy to the next schire. And ther was his brother both lorde and sire. Gamelyn boldely come in to the mote halle. And put a-doun his hood amonge the lordis alle. God saue you lordynges that here be. But broke bak schereue euyll mote thou the. Whi hast thou do me that schame and vilonye. ffor to late endite me and wolfesheed do me crie./ Tho thought the fals knyght for to ben a-wreke. And let Gamelyn most he no thyng speke. Might ther be no grace but Gamelyn at the last. Was cast in prison and feterid fast./ Gamelyn hath a brother/ that hight sir Ote. As a good a knyght and hende as myght gon on fote. A-non yede a messager to that good knyght. And tolde hym all to-gider how Gamelyn was dight. A-non as sire Ote herde how Gamelyn was dight. He was right sory was he no thyng light. And lete sadill a stede and the way he name. And to his tweie bretheryn right sone he came. Sire seide sir Ote to the schereue tho. We ben but thre bretheren schull we neuer be mo. And thou hast prisoned the best of vs alle. Suche a nother brother euyll mote hym bi-falle. Sir Ote seide the fals knyght late be thi curs/. By god for thi wordis he schall fare the wurs. To the kyngis prison he is y-nome. And there he schall a-bide till the iustice come. Parde seide sir Ote bettir it schall be. I bid hym to maympris that thou graunte me. Till the next sittyng of delyueraunce. And late than Gamelyn stonde to his chaunce. Brother in suche a forwarde I take hym to the. And by my fadris soule that the bigat and me. But he be redy whan the iustice sitte./ Thou schalt bere the iugement for all thi gret witte. I graunte well seide sir Ote that it so be. Late delyuer hym a-non and take hym to me. Tho was Gamelyn delyuered to sir Ote his brother. And that nyght dwellid the oon with the other. On the morowen seide Gamelyn to sir Ote the hende. Brother he seide I mote for sothe fro you wende. To loke how my yong men leden here lyf. Whethir thei lyuen in ioy or ellis in strif. By god seide sir Ote that is a colde rede. Now I see that alle the carke schall fall on my hede. ffor whan the Iustice sitte and thou be not founde. I schall a-non be take and in thi stede y-bounde. Brother seide Gamelyn dismaie the noght. ffor bi seynt Iame in Galis that mony man hath soght. Yf that god Almyghty holde me my lyf and my witte. I will be redy whan the iustice sitte. Than seide sir Ote to Gamelyn god schilde the fro schame. Come when thou seist tyme and bryng vs oute of blame. Litheth and listneth and hold yow stille./ And ye schull here how Gamelyn had his wille. Gamelyn wente vndir wode rys. And fonde ther plaiyng yong men of prys. Tho was yong Gamelyn right glad y-noghe. When he fonde his men vndir wode boghe. Gamelyn and his men talkeden in fere. And thei had good game here maister to here. His men tolde hym of auenturis that thei had founde. And Gamelyn hem tolde a-yen how he was fast bounde. While Gamelyn was outlawe had he no cors. Ther was no man that for hym ferde the wors. But Abbotis and priours monk and Chanon. On hem left he noght when he myght hem nome. While Gamelyn and his men made myrthes ryue. The fals knyght his brother euyll mote he þryue. ffor he was fast a-boute bothe day and other. ffor to hire the quest to hangen his brother/ ¶ Gamelyn stood on a day and behelde. The wodis and the schawis and the wilde filde. He thought on his brother how he hym be-hette. That he wolde be redy whan the iustice sette. He thought well he wolde with-oute delay. Come a-fore the iustice to kepen his day. And seide to his yong men dighteth you yare. ffor whan the iustice sitte we moste be thare. ffor I am vndir borow till that I come. And my brother for me to prison schall be nome. Be seynt Iame seide his yong men and thou rede therto. Ordeyne how it schall be and it schall be do. While Gamelyn was comyng ther the iustice satte. The fals knyght his brother for-yate he not that. To hire the men on his quest to hangen his brother. Thogh thei had not the oon thei wolde haue the other. Tho come Gamelyn fro vndir the wode rys. And broght with hym yong men of prys. I se well seide Gamelyn the Iustice is sette. Go a-forn Adam and loke how it spette. Adam went in to the halle and loked all a-boute. He sigh ther stonde lordis grete and stoute. And sir Ote his brother feterid full faste. Tho went Adam oute of halle as he were a-gaste. Adam seide to Gamelyn and to his felawis alle. Sir Ote stant feterid in the mote halle./ . . . . . . . . . .no gap in the MS. Yf god yeue vs grace well for to do. He schall it a-bigge that it brought ther-to. Than seide Adam that lokkes had hore./ Cristes curs mote he haue that hym bond so sore. And thou wilt Gamelyn do aftir my rede. Ther is non in the halle schall bere a-wey his hede. Adam seide Gamelyn we will not do so. We will sle the giltif and late the other go. I will in to the halle and with the Iustice speke. On hem that ben giltif I will ben a-wreke. Lete non scape at the dore take yong men yeme ffor I will be Iustice this day domes to deme. God spede me this day at my newe werke. Adam come with me for thou schalt be my clerke. His men vnswareden hym and bad hym done his beste. And if thou to vs haue nede thou schalt fynde vs preste. We will stonde with the while that we may dure. And but we wirken manly pay vs non hure. Yonge men seide Gamelyn so mote I well the./ As trusti a maister ye schall fynde me. Right there the Iustice satte in the halle In went Gamelyn amongis hem alle. Gamelyn lete vnfeter his brother out of bende. Than seide sir Ote his brother that was hende. Thou haddist almost Gamelyn dwellid to longe. ffor the quest is oute on me that I schulde be honge. Brother / seide Gamelyn so god yeue me good rest. This day thei schull ben hanged that ben on the quest. And the Iustice bothe that is the Iuge man. And the schereue bothe thorgh hym it be-gan. ¶ Than seide Gamelyn to the Iustice. Now is thi power done thou most nedis rise. Thou hast yeuyn domyb that ben yuell dight. I will sitten in thi sete and dressen hem a-right. The Iustice sate stille and ros not a-non. And Gamelyn in haste cleuyd his cheke bon. Gamelyn toke hym in his armys and no more spak. But threw him ouer the barre and his arme brak. Durst non to Gamelyn saie but good. ffor ferd of the companye that with hym oute stood. Gamelyn sette hym doun in the Iustice sete. And sir Ote his brother bi hym and Adam at his fete. Whan Gamelyn was sette in the Iustice stide. Herken of a bourde that Gamelyn dide. He lete feter the Iustice and his fals brother/ And lete hem come to the barre that oon with that other/./ Tho Gamelyn had thus done had he no rest. Till he had enquerid who was on the quest. ffor to demyn his brother sir Ote for to honge. Er he wiste whiche thei were hym thoght full longe. But as sone as Gamelyn wiste where thei were. He dide hem euerychon feter in fere. And bryngen hem to the barre and setten hem in rewe. Be my feith seide the Iustice the schereue is a schrewe. Than seide Gamelyn to the Iustice. Thou hast yeue domes of the worste assise. And the .xij. sisouris that weren on the quest. They schull be hangid this day so haue I good rest. Than seide the schereue to yong Gamelyn. Lorde I crie the mercy brother art thou myn. Therfore seide Gamelyn haue thou cristes curs. ffor and thou were mayster yet schulde I haue wurs. ffor to make schort tale and noght to longe. He ordeyned hym a quest of his men so stronge. The Iustice and the schereue bothe hangid hye. To weyuen with the ropis and with the wynde drye. And the .xij. sisours sorw haue that rekke. Alle thei were hangid fast bi the nekke. ¶ Thus endid the fals knyght with his trechery. That euyr had lad his lif in falsnes and foly. He was hanged bi the nekke and not bi the purs. That was the mede that he had for his fadirs curs. Sir Otes was eldist and Gamelyn was yong. Wenten to here frendis and passedyn to the kyng. Thei maden pees with the kyng of the best sise. The kyng loued well sir Ote and made hym Iustice. And after the kyng made Gamelyn in Este and in west. Chief Iustice of his fre forest. Alle his wight yong men the kyng for-yaf here gilt. And sithen in good office the kyng hath alle hem pilt. ¶ Thus wan Gamelyn his londe and his lede. And wreke hym on hys enemyes and quyt hem here mede. And sir Ote his brother made hym his heier./ And sithen weddid Gamelyn a wif good and feier. Thei lyueden to-gider / while that crist wolde. And sithen was Gamelyn grauen vndir molde. And so schall we alle may ther no man fle. God bryng vs to the ioy that euyr schall be. here endith the Cokis tale./ 2 THE NUN'S PRIEST'S END-LINK. [Incipit prologus fabule secunde monialis

[Addit. MS 5140, Brit. Mus., leaf 282, back (paper).]

 SIr Nvnnys preest / our host seide anoon I-blessid be thi breche / and every stoon This was a mery tale / of Chantecleer But bi my trouth / yiff thou were seculer Thou woldist ben / a trede foule a riht ffor yff thou coragge / as thou hast myht The were neede / of hennys as I weene ya. mo than vij tymes / seventene See suche brawne / hath this gentil preest So grete a neck / and such a large breest He lookith as a sparhawk / with his eyen Hym needith nat / his colour for to dyen With brasill ne with greyn / off portyngal Now sire fair falle you / for your tale And aftir that / he with full mery cheer Seid vnto the Nunne / as ye may heer][Addit. MS extract stops][Group H (the Manciple) follows in the MS.] 3. THE MAN-OF-LAW—SHIPMAN LINK. The prolog of the squyers tale

Royal MS 18 C ii, leaf 82 (Brit. Mus.).

 OWre oost vp on his stiropes stood a-non And saide godemen herkeneth euerichon This was a thrifty tale for þe nones Sire parisshe preest quod he for goddes bones Telle vs a tale as was thi forward yore I se wel that ye lernede men in lore Can moche good by goddes dignete The person him Answered benedicite What eyleth the man so synfully to swere Owre ooste answerd O Ianekyn be ye there I smelle a lollere in the wynde quod he How goodmen quod owre oost herkeneth me A-bideth for goddes digne passioun ffor we shal haue a predicacioun This lollere here wil prechen vs som what Nay by my fader sowle that shal he nat Seide þe squier here shal he nat preche He shal no gospel glosen here no teche He leueþ alle in the grete god he He wolde sowen som difficulte Or springen Cokkel in owre clene corn And ther-fore hoost y warne þe byforn Mi Ioly body shal a tale telle And I shal klynken yow so mery A belle That I shal waken al this compaignye But it shal not ben of philosophie Ne phislyas ne termes queynte of lawe Ther is but litel latyn in my mawe Here endyth the the prolog // 4. [And here beginnithe þe Marchaundis tale /

[Harl. MS 7333, on leaf 68, back, col. 2.]

 WEping & wayling Care and oþere sorowe I know Inow bothe evin & Eke on morowe Quod the marchaunt & so dothe oþere moo That weddide be I trowe that it be soo ffor wel wote I it ffarithe so be me I have a wyf quod he the worst that may be ffor thowhe the fende Covpelid to hir were She wolde him ouer-mache I dare wel swere What shude yewe reherce in special her hiȝe malice she is a shrew at Alle Ther is A longe & A large difference / Be-twyxt gresildes gret paciens And of my wyfe the passyng Crueltee Were I vnbounde Also mut I thee I wolde neuer Efte Come in that snare We weddid men leve in sorow & Care A-say who-so wolle And he shall fynde That I sey sothe by seint Thomas of ynde As for the more part I sey not Al God shilde it that it so shulde be-falle O goode sir hoste I have I-weddid be Thes monthes too And no more parde And yit I trowe he hathe Alle his lyf Wyfles be thow that men wolde him Rue Into the hert ne Coude in no manere where Tellyn so muche sorow as I nowe here Coude telle of my wyfes Cursid-nesse/ Nowe quod owre Ost marchande so god yowe blesse Synne ye so mekyll Con of that Arte fful hertly I pray yowe telle vs parte / Gladly quod he but of myn owne sore ffor sory herte I tell[e] may nomore][Harl. 7333 extract ends] 5. and now begynneth the prologe of the Chanons yoman.

[Lichfield MS, leaf 172, l. 3.]

 Whan ended was / the tale of seint Cecyle Er we fully / had riden fif myle At Boughton . vnder the blee / vs gan a take A man that clothed was / in clothes blake And vnder þat / he had a whit surplys His hakeney that was / al pomel grys So swette / that it wonder was to see Hit semed he had / priked myles three The hors eke / that his yoman rood vpon So swette / þat vnnethe miȝte he goon Aboute the peytrel / stood the foom ful hiȝe He was of fome / al flekked as a pye A male twifold / vpon his croper lay It semed þat he caried / litel aray Al light for somer / rood þis worthy man And in myn herte / wondren I bigan what þat he was / til þat I vnderstood How þat his cloke / was swed to his hood ffor which whan I longe / had a-vised me I demed him / som chanon for to be his hat heeng at his bak / doun by laas ffor he had riden / more than trot or paas He had ay priked / lyk as he were wood A clote leef / he had vnder his hood ffor swoot / and for to kepe his hede fro hete But it was ioye / for to seen him swete His forhed dropped / as a stillatorie were ful of plannteyn / and of peritorie And whan þat he com / he gan to crie God saue quod he / this ioly companie ffaste haue I priked / quod he for ȝoure sake Be cause þat I wolde / ȝow ouertake To ryden / in þis mery companie His yoman eke / was ful of curtesie And sire now // in the morwe tyde Out of ȝoure Hostery / I saugh ȝow ryde And warned here / my lord and my souerayn which þat to ride / with ȝow is ful fayn ffor his disport / he loueth daliaunce And for þi warnyng / god ȝeue þe good chaunce Saide oure hoost / certes it wolde seme Thy lord were wys . and so I may wel deme He is ful iocunde / also dar I leye Can he ought telle / a mery tale or tweye with whiche / he glade . may þis companye who sire my lord / ȝe ȝe withoute lye He can of merthe / and eek of iolyte Nouȝt but ynogh / also sire trusteth me And ȝe him knewe / as wel as do I Ȝe wolde wondre / how wel and thriftily He couthe werke / and þat in sondry wise He hath taken on him / many greet apprise Whiche were ful hard / for any þat is here To bringe aboute / but þei of him it lere As homely as he rit / amonges ȝow Ȝif ye him knewe / it wolde be ȝoure prow Ȝe wolde not forgoon / his aqueyntance ffor moche good / I dar leye in balance Al þat I haue / in my possession he is a man / of high discrecion I warne ȝow wel / he is a passinge man Wel quod oure hoost I pray þe tel me þan Is he clerk or noon / tel what he is Nay he is gretter / than a Clerk ywis Seide the ȝoman / and in wordes fewe Hoost of his craft / somwhat I wol ȝow shewe I say my lord / can such a sotilte But al his craft / ȝe may not wite at me And somwhat helpe I ȝit / to his worchyng That al þis grounde / þat we ben on ridyng Til þat we come / to Cauntebury toun He coude al clene / turne vp so doun And paue it al / of siluer and of goold And whan þis Ȝoman / had þus y-toold ¶ Vn to oure hoost / he saide benedicite This þing / is wonder . meruaillous to me Sitthe þi lord / is of so high prudence Be cause of which / men shulde him reuerence That of his worshipe / rekketh . he so lyte His ouer sloppe / is not worth a myte As in effecte / to him so mote I go It is al baudy / and to-tore also Why is þi lord / so sluttish I the prey And is of power / better cloþes for to bey Ȝif þat his dede / accorde with þi speche Tel me that / and þat I the beseche ¶ Whi quod þis ȝoman / wherto aske ȝe me God helpe me so / for he shal neuer ythe But I wol not / avowe that I say And therfore kepe it secre / I yow pray He is to wys / in feith as I beleue That þat is ouerdone / it wol not preue And right as clerkes seyn / it is a vice Wherfore in þat / I holde him lewed and nyce ffor whan a man / hath ouer greet a wit fful ofte him happeth / to misvsen it So doth my lord / and that me greueth sore God it amende / I can say ȝow no more ¶ Ther-of no fors / goode yoman quod oure hoost Sitthen of the cunnynge / of þi lord þou woost Telle how he doth / I pray the hertely Sitthen þat he is / so crafty . and so slyȝ where dwelle ȝe / ȝif it tolle be In the subarbe / of a toun quod [he] Lurkynge in hernes / and in lanes blynde where thise robbers / and theefs be kynde Holden her priue / and ferful residence As þei þat dar not/ shewen her presence So fare we / ȝif I shal say the sothe Ȝit quod oure hoost / lat me talke to the Why art þou / discoloured on thy face Petre quod he / god ȝeue it harde grace I am so vsed / in the fyre to blowe That it hath chaunged / my colour as I trowe I am not wont in no myrour to prie But swynke sore / and lerne to multiplie we bloundren euere / and pouren in the fyr And for al þat we faylen / of oure desyr ffor euere we lakken / oure conclusion To moche folk we be / but illusion And borwe gold / be it a pound or two Or ten or twelue / or many sommes mo And make hem wene / atte leste weye That of a pound / we coude make tweye Ȝit is it fals / and ay we han good hope It for to done / and after it we grope But þat science is / so fer vs biforn we may not / al þogh. we had it sworn It ouertake / it slit awey so faste It wol vs make / beggers atte laste ¶ Whiles this ȝoman / was þus in his talkyng This chanon drow him nere / and herde al þyng which þat þis ȝoman spak / for suspecion Of mennes speche / euere had this chanon ffor caton seith / he þat gilty is Demeth al þing / of him be spoke ywis By cause of that / he gan so nygh to drawe his ȝoman / and herde al his sawe And thus he seide / vn to his ȝoma[n] tho Hold now thy pees / and spek wordes no mo ffor ȝif þou doost / þou shalt it de[re] abye Thou sclaundrest me here / in this companye And eke discouerest þat þou shuldest hyde ȝe quod oure hoost / tel on what so be-tyde Of al his thretenyng / recche þe nat a myte In feith quod he / no more I do but lyte And whan this chanon / saugh it wolde not be But þat his yoman / wolde telle his priuite he fledde a wey / for verray sorwe and shame A quod þe ȝoman / here shal rise a game Al þat I can / anoon wol I telle Syn he is goon / þe foule feend him quelle ffor neuere here after / wol I with him mete ffor peny ne for pound / I the beheete he that me brouȝte / first vn-to þat game Er þat he deye / sorwe haue he and shame ffor it is ernest to me by my feith That fele I wel / what so eny man seith And ȝit for al my smert/ and al my greef ffor al my sorwe / labour and mescheef I couthe neuere / leue it in no wise Now wolde god / my wit myght suffise To tellen al / that longeth to that art [But natheles ȝit wol I telle ȝou part] Syn þat my lord is goon / I wol not spare Swich þing as I knowe / I wol declare ¶ Thus endeth þe prologe / and begynneth the tale[on leaf 174] [5b. THE PREAMBLE.] With this chanon / dwelled haue I .vij. ȝere And of his science / am I neuere þe nere Al þat I hadde / haue I lost ther by And god woot/ so haue many mo þan I. Ther I was wont/ to be right fressh and gay Of clothing / and of good aray Now may I were / an hose vpon myn heed And where my colour / was bothe fressh and reed Now is it wan / and of leden hewe who so it vse / sore shal him rewe And of my swynk ./ ȝit blered is myn ye Lo which auauntage / it is to multiplye That slidynge science / hath me maad so bare That I haue no good / where þat euere I fare And ȝit I am / endetted so ther by Of gold/ þat I haue borwed trewely That while I lyue / I shal it quite neuere Lat euery man / be war by me . for euere What maner man / that casteth him ther to Ȝif he contynue / I holde his thrifte ydo ffor so helpe me god / þer-by shal he not wynne But empte his purs / and make his wittes thynne And whan he / þurgh his madnesse and folie hath lost his owne good / þurgh Iupartie Than he exciteth / other men ther-to To lese her good / as him self hath do ffor vn-to shrewes / ioye it is and ese To haue her felawes / in peyne and disese Thus was I ones/ lerned of a clerk Of þat no charge / I wol speke of oure werk ¶ Whan we be þere / as we shul exercise Oure eluyssh craft / we seme wonder wise Oure termes be / so clergeal and so queynte I blowe þe fire / til þat myn herte feynte what shulde I telle / eche proporcion Of thinges whiche / þat we worchen on As of fyve or sixe vnces / it may wel be Of siluer / or of som oþer quantite And besie me / to telle ȝow the names Of orpement/ brent bones . yren squames That in to pouder / grounde be ful smal And in an erthen pot / how it put is al And salt yput in / and also papire Bifore thise pouders / that I speke of here And wel y-couered / with a lampe of glas And of moche other thing / what that ther was And of the pot/ and glas englutyng That of the eyre / myght passe no thyng And of the esy fire / and smart also Whiche þat were made / and of the care and wo That we had / in oure maters sublymynge And amalgamynge / and calcenynge Of quic siluer / y-cleped mercurie crude ffor alle oure sleightes/ we can not conclude Oure orpement / and sublymed mercurie Oure grounde litarge / eke on the porphirie Of eche of þise / of vnces a certayn Not helpeth vs / oure labour is in vayn Ne eke oure spirites / ascensioun Ne eke oure mater / that lyn al fixe adoun May in oure werching / no thing vs avayle ffor lost is al oure labour / and trauayle And al the cost/ on twenty deuel way Is lost also / which we vpon it lay Ther is also / many another thing That is to oure craft / apertenyng Though I by ordre hem here / ne reherse can Be cause that I am / a lewed man Ȝit wol I telle hem / as þei come to mynde Though I ne can / sette hem in her kynde As boole amoniak / verdegres boras And sondry vesselles / made of erthe and glas Oure vrinals / and oure descensories Violes crescellettes / and sublymatories Concurbites / and alembikes eke And othere / dere ynogh a leke Not nedeth it / to rehersen hem alle Watres rubifiynge / and boles galle Arsenyk . sal armoniak ./ and brymston And herbes / coude I telle eek manyon As egremoyne / valerian and lunarie And other suche / ȝif þat me lust tarie Oure lampes brennynge / bothe nyght and day To bringe aboute / oure craft ȝif þat we may Oure fourneis eke / of calcinacion And of oure watres / albificacion Vnslekked lyme ./ chalk . and gleyre of an ey Poudres diuerse / asshes dong pisse and cley Cered pokettes / sal petre and vitriole And diuerse fires / made of wode and cole Sal tartre / alcaly and salt preparat And combust materes and coagulat Cley made with horses . or mannes heer and oyle Of tartre / alumglas . berme wort and argoyle Reysalgar / and othere materes enbibynge And eke of oure materes / encorporinge And of oure siluer / citrinacion Oure fermenting and fermentacion Oure Ingottes / testes and many mo I wol ȝow telle / as was me tauȝt also The foure spirites / and the bodies seuene By ordre as I haue herd / my lord neuene The first spirit / quik siluer called is The secunde orpement / the thridde ywis Sal armoniak / and the fourthe brymston The bodies seuene / eek loo hem here anoon Sol gold is / and luna siluer we threpe Mars yren / Mecurie quik siluer we clepe Saturnus leed / a[nd] Iupiter is tyn And venus copir / by my fader kyn This cursed craft / who so wol excercise He shal no good han / that may suffise ffor al the good / he spendeth ther aboute he lese shal / ther-of haue I no doute Who so that lust / to outen his folie lat him come forth / and lerne multiplie And euery man / þat hath auȝt in his cofre lat him appere / and wexe a philosophre Ascaunce that craft / is so light to lere Nay nay god woot / al be he monk or frere Preest or chanon / or eny other wight Though he sitte at his book/ boþe day and nyght In lernyng of this eluissh nyce lore As is in veyne / and parde moche more Is to lerne a lewed man / this sotilte ffy spek not þer-of / for it wol not be Al coude he lettrure / or coude he noon As in effecte / he shal fynde it al oon ffor bothe two / by my saluacion Concluden in multiplicacion yliche wel / whan þei han al ydo This is to say / þe fayle bothe two Ȝit forȝat I to moche rehersaille Of watres corosif / and of lymaille And of bodies / mollificacion And also / of her induracion Oyles ablucion / and metal fusible To tellen al / wolde passen eny bible That ougher is / werfore . as for the beste Of alle þise names / now wol I me reste ffor as I trowe / I haue ȝow told ynogh To reisen a feend / loke he neuere so rogh A nay lat be / thy philosophres stoon Elixir cleped we / sechen faste echoon ffor had we him / than were we siker ynow But vn-to god / of heuene I make a vow ffor al oure craft / whan we haue al y-do And al oure sleighte / he wol not come vs to he hath vs made / spende moche good ffor sorwe of which / almost wexe wood But that good hope / crepeth in oure herte Supposinge euere / thogh we sore smerte To be releued / by him afterward Supposing and hope / is sharp and hard I warne ȝow wel / it is to seken euere That future temps / hath made men disseuere In trust ther of / from al þat euere þei hadde ȝit of that art / þei coude not wexe sadde ffor vn to hem / it is a bitter swete So semeth it / for ne had þei but a shete which þei myghte / wrappe hem in a nyght And a bak to walken in / by day light They wolde hem selle / and spenden on the craft They can not stinte / til no thing be laft And euere more / where þat euere þei goon Men may hem knowe / by smel of brimstoon ffor al the world / þei stynken as a goot he[r] sauour is / so rammyssh and so hoot That though a man / from hem a myle be The sauour wol infecten him trusteth me Loo þus bi smellyng / and thred bare aray Ȝif that men liste / this folk þei knowe may And ȝif a man / wol aske hem priuely Why þei be clothed / so vntriftily Right anon þei wol / rownen in his ere And sey / ȝif þei aspied were Men wolde hem sleen / bicause of her science Loo thus þis folk / betrayen innocence Passe ouer þis / I go my tale vn to Er þat þe pot / be on þe fire ydo Of metalles /· with a certeyn quantite My lord hem tempreth / and no man but he Now he is gon / I dar say boldely ffor as men sayn / he can do craftily Algate I woot wel / he hath such a name And ȝit ful ofte / he renneth in the blame And wete how / ful ofte it happeth so The pot to-breketh / and farewel al is go Thise metals ben / of so greet violence Oure walles may not / make hem resistence Bu[t] ȝif they be wrouȝt/ of lyme and stoon They percen so / and thurgh the wal þei goon And somme of hem / sinken in to the grounde Thus haue we lost / be tymes many a pounde And somme are scatered / al the floor aboute Somme lepen in to þe roof / withoute doute Though that þe feend / nat in oure sight him shewe I trowe þat he / be with vs. þat shrewe In helle wher he is / lord and sire Ne is ther no more wo / ne anger ne ire ¶ Whan that oure pot is broken / as I haue sayd Euery men chit / and halt him euele payd Somme seide it was long on the fire makyng Somme seide nay / it was long on the blowyng Than was I ferd / for þat was myn office Strawe quod the thride / ȝe be lewed and nyce It was not tempred / as it ouȝt be Nay quod the ferthe / stinte and herkene me By cause oure fire / was not made of beech That is the cause / noon other so theech I can not telle / wher on it is along But wel I woot / greet strif is vs among What quod my lord / ther is no more to done Of thise periles / I wol be war eft sone I am right siker / þat the pot was crased Be as be may / be ȝe no thing amazed As vsage is / lat swepe the floor as swithe Plucke vp ȝowre herte / and be ȝe glad and blithe The mollok on an heep / yswopen is And on the flore / cast a canevas And al this mollok / in sive ythrowe And sifted and y-plucked / many a throwe Parde quod oon / somwhat of oure metall Yit is ther here / þogh we haue not all And thogh this thing / mishapped hath now Anoþer tyme / it may be wel ynow Vs muste putte / oure good in auenture A marchant parde / may nat ay endure; Trusteth me wel / in his prosperite Somtyme his good / is drowned in þe see And somtyme cometh it sauf / vn-to the londe Pees quod my lord / þe nexte tyme I wol fonde To bringe oure craft / al in another plyte And but I do sires / lat me haue the wyte Ther was defaute / in somwhat wel I woot And othere seide / the fire was ouerhoot But be it hoot or coold / I dar wel say this That we conclude / eueremore amis We failen of that / which we wolde haue And in oure madnesse / eueremore we raue And whan we been / to-geder euerychon Euery man semeth / as wys as salomon But al thing / which þat semeth golde Is nat gold / as I haue herd tolde Ne euery appel / that is fayre at eye Ne is not good / what so men clappe or seye Right so loo fareth it / amonges vs He that semeth / the wisest by Ihesus Is moost fool / whan it cometh to the preef And he that semeth trewest / is þe moste þeef That shull ye knowe / er þat I fro yow wende By that I of my tale / haue made an ende[No break in the MS.] [5c. THE TALE.] Ther is a Chanon / of Religioun Amonges vs / wolde enfecte al a toun Thogh it as greet ware / as was Niniue Rome Alisaundre / Troye and other thre His sleightes / and his infinite falsnesse Ther cowthe no man / writen as I gesse Thogh that he myghte / lyven a þousand yeer In al this world / of falsnesse nis his peer ffor in his termes / he wol him so wynde And speke his wordes / in so sligh a kynde Whan he commune shal / with eny wight What. he wol make him / dote anon right But it the feend be / as him self is fful many a man / hath he begiled er this And wole ȝif that he may / lyuen a while And ȝit men riden / and goon ful many a myle Him for to seke / and haue aqueyntance Nought knowynge / of his fals gouernance And ȝif ȝe lust / to ȝeue me audience I wol it telle / here in ȝoure presence But worschipeful Chanon / Religious Ne demeth not / þat I sclaundre ȝoure hous Al thogh my tale / of a chanon be Of euery ordre / som shrewe is parde And god forbede / that al a companye Shulde rewe / a singuler mannes folie To sclaundre ȝow / is not myn entent But to correcten / þat is wis ywent This tale was not oonly / told for ȝow But eke for other mo / ȝe woot wel how That amonges / cristes aposteles twelue Ther was no traitour / but Iudas him selue Than why sholde þe remenant / alle haue blame That gilteles were / by ȝow sey I the same Sauf only this / ȝif ȝe wole herkne me Ȝif any Iudas / in ȝoure couent be Remeweth him by tyme / I ȝow rede Ȝif shame or losse / may causen any drede And beth no þing displesed / I ȝow pray But in this caas / herkeneth what I say IN london was a preest / an aunueler That þerynne dwelled / had many a ȝeer which was so plesant / and so seruisable Vn to the wyf / where he was at table That she wolde suffre him / no þing for to paie ffor bord noþer clothing wente he neuere so gaye And spending siluer / hadde he right ynowȝ Ther-of no force / I wol procede as now And telle forth my tale / of the Chanon That broghte þis preest/ to confusion ¶ This false Chanon / com vpon a day Vn-to the prestes chambre / there he lay Besechinge him / to lene him a certeyn Of gold / and he wolde. quit him a-geyn Leneth me a marc / quod he but dayes thre And at my day / I wol it quite the And ȝif so be / þou fynde me fals Another day / hange me by the hals This prest him toke / a marc & þat as swithe And this Chanon / him thanked ofte sithe And toke his leue / and wente forth his weye And atte thridde day / brouȝte his moneye And to the preest / he took þis gold ageyn Ther-of þis preest / was glad and fayn Certes quod he / no þing anoyeth me To lene a man a noble / or two or þre Or what thing were / in my possession whan he so trewe is / of condicion That in no wise / he breke wol his day To swich a man / I can neuere say nay What quod þis Chanon / shulde I be vntrewe Nay that were þing / fallen al of newe Truthe is a thing / that I wol euere kepe Vn to the day / in which þat I shal crepe In to my graue / and ellis god forbede Beleeueth þis / as siker as the crede God thanke I / and in good tyme be it sayd That ther was neuere man ȝit euel appayd ffor gold ne siluer / that he to me lente Ne neuere falshede / in myn herte I mente And sire quod he / now of my priuite Syn ȝe so goodly / haue ben to me And kythed to me / so gret gentilnesse Somwhat to quiten with / ȝoure kyndenesse I wol ȝow shewe / and ȝif ȝow lust to lere I shal it shewe / to ȝow anon right here How I can worchen / in philosophie Taketh good heede / ȝe schul wel seen at yȝe That I wol done / a maystrie or I goo Ȝee quod the preest / ȝee sire and wol ȝe so Marie ther of / I pray ȝow hertely At ȝoure commaundement/ sire trewely Quod the Chanon / and ellis god forbede Loo how þis theef / couthe his seruice bede fful soth it is / þat such profred seruice Stinketh / as witnessen thise olde wise And that ful sone / I wol it verifie In this Chanon that is / roote of al treccherie That eueremore / delite hath and gladnesse Suche feendly thouȝtes / in his herte empresse How cristes peple / he may to mescheef bringe God kepe vs / from his fals dissimulinge What wiste this preest / with whom þat he delte Ne of his harme comynge / no thing he felte O sely preest / o sely Innocent With couetise anoon / þou shalt be blent O graceles / ful blynd is þi conceyt No þing artow war / of the deceyt Which that þis fox / shapen hath to the His wily wrenches / þou mayst not flee Wherfore to go / to the conclusion That referreth / to þi confusion Vnhappy man / anoon I wol me hie To telle thyn vnwitte / and þi folie And eke the falsnes / of þat other wrecche As ferforth / as my connynge wol strecche This Chanon was my lord / ȝe wolde wene Sire ofte in feith / and by the heuene quene It was a nother Chanon / and nouȝt he That can an hundred fold more sotiltee He hath betrayed folc many tyme Of his falsnesse / it dulleth me to Ryme Euere whan I speke of his falshede ffor shame of him / my chekes wexe rede Algates þei begonne / for to glowe ffor reednesse haue I now / right wel y-knowe In my visage / for fumes diuerse Of metalles whiche / ȝe han herd me reherse Consumed and wasted / han my reednesse Now take heede of this / Chanons cursednesse ¶ Sire quod he to the preest / lat ȝoure man goon ffor quicsiluer / that we it hadde anoon And lat him bringe / vnces two or three And whan he cometh / as faste shull ȝe see A wonder þing / which ȝe say neuere ar this Sire quod the preest / it shal be done ywis He bad his seruant / fecchen him þis þing And he al redy / was at his bidding And wente him forth / and com anoon ageyn with this quicsiluer / shortly for to seyn And toke thise vnces thre / to the Chanoun And he it leide / fayre and wel adoun And bad the seruaunt / coles for to bringe That he anoon / myghte go to his worchinge The coles right anoon / were yfette And this Chanon / toke out a crosselette Of his bosome / and shewed it the preest This Instrument quod he / which þat þou seest Tak in thin hond / and put þi self þerynne Of þis quic siluer an vnce / and here begynne In the name of crist to wexe a philosophre Ther ben ful fewe / whiche þat I wolde profre To shewe hem thus moche / of my science ffor ȝe shull see / here by experience That þis quicsiluer / I wol mortefie Right in ȝoure sight / anon withoute lie And make it as good siluer / and as fyn As ther is eny in ȝoure purs / or in myn Or elliswhere / and make it malleable And ellis hold me / fals and vnable Amonges folc / euere to appere I haue a powder here / þat coste me dere Shal make al gold / for it is cause of all My cunnynge / which that I ȝow shewe shall Voydeth ȝoure man / and lat him be þer oute And shitte the dore / whiles we ben aboute Oure priuete / that no man // vs espie 1whiles we werken / in this philosophie1[1_1 over an erasure] Al as he bad / fulfilled was in dede This ilke seruaunt / anoon right out ȝede And his mayster / shette the dore anoon And to her labour / speedly they goon This preest/ at this cursed chanons biddyng Vpon the fire / anoon sette this thyng And blewe þe fire / and besied him ful faste And þis chanon / in to the crosselet caste A powder not I wher of / that it was Ymade / outher of chalk / or of glas Or somwhat ellis / was not worth a flie To blynde with þis preest / and bad him hie The coles for to cowche / al aboue The crosselet / for in tokene that I the loue Quod this Chanon / thyn hondes two Shull werke al þinge / which as shall be do Grauntmercy quod the preest / and was ful glad And couched coles / as the Chanon bad And whiles he besy was / þis feendly wrecche This fals Chanon / þe foule feend him fecche Out of his bosome / took a bechen cole In which ful sotilly / was maad an hole And ther Inne put was / of siluer lymayle An ounce / and stopped was withoute fayle This hole with wex / to kepe the lymayle in And vnderstondeth / þat þis false gin Was not maad there/. but it was maad bifore And oþere thinges / as I shall telle more Here afterward / which þat he with him brouȝte Ar he com there / to begile him he thouȝte And so dide / or þey wente a twynne Til he had torned him / coude he not blynne It dulleth me / whan þat I of him speke On his falshede I fayn wolde me awreke Ȝif I wiste how / but he is here and there He is so variant / he abideth nowhere But taketh heede / now sires for goddes loue He toke his cole / of which I spak aboue And in his hond / he bar it priuely And whiles þe preest/ couched besily The coles / as I tolde ȝow er this This chanon seide / freend ȝe done amis This is not couched / as it ouȝte be But sone I shal / amenden it quod he Now lat me medle with it / but a while ffor of ȝow haue I pite / by seint Gile Ȝe be right hoot / .I see wel how ȝe swete haue here a cloth / and wype a-wey the wete And whiles þe preest / him wyped haas This Chanon toke his cole / I shrewe his faas And leyde it vpon / aboue the midward Of the crosselet / and blewe wel afterward Til that the coles / gonne faste brenne Now ȝeue vs drynke / quod the Chanon thenne As swithe / al shal be wel I vndertake Sitte we doun / and lat vs mery make And whan the Chanons / bechen cole was brent / al þe lymayle out at þe hole In to the crosselet / anoon fil adoun And so it muste / nedes by resoun Syn it so euene / aboue couched was But ther-of wiste / no þing þe preest allas He demede alle the coles lyche goode ffor of the sleighte / no þing he vnderstoode And whan þis Alkamystre / sagh his tyme Riseth vp sire prest / and stondeth by me And for I woot wel / Ingot haue ȝe noon Goth walketh forth / and bring a chalk stoon ffor I wol make it / of the same shappe That is an Ingot / ȝif I may haue happe And bringe with ȝow / a bolle or a panne fful of water / and see shull ȝe thanne How þat oure besynesse / shal happe & preue And ȝit for ȝe shul haue / no misbileue Ne wrong conceyt of me / in ȝoure absence I wol not ben / out of ȝoure presence But go with ȝow / and come with ȝow a-geyn The chambre dore / shortly for to seyn They opened and shette / and wente forth her weye And forth with hem / þei caried the keye And comen ageyn / withoute eny delay What sholde I tarie / al þe longe day He took þe chalk / and shoop it in the wise Of an Ingot / as .I shal ȝow deuise I say he took out / of his owne sleue A teyne of siluer / euele mote he cheue which þat was / but an ounce of weighte And taketh heede now / of þis cursed sleighte he shoop his Ingot / in lengthe and brede Of the teyne / withoute eny drede So slighly / þat þe prest it not espide And [in] his sleue / ageyn he gan it hide And from þe fire / took vp þe matere And in to the Ingot / it putte with mery chere And in to the water vessel he it caste whan þat him liste / and bad the preest as faste loke what there is / put in thyn hand and grope Thou shalt fynde there / siluer as I hope what deuel of helle / shulde it ellis be Shauyng of siluer / siluer is parde he putte in his hond / and toke vp a teyne Of siluer fyn / and glad euery veyne [glad] was þis preest / whan he sagh it was so Goddes blessing / and his modres also And alle halwes / haue ȝe sire Chanon Seide the preest / and I her malison But and ȝe vouchesauf/ to teche me This noble craft / and þis sotilte I wol be ȝoure in al þat euere I may Quod the Chanon / ȝit wol I make assay The secounde tyme / that ȝe may take hede And ben expert of this / and in ȝoure nede Another day / in myn absence This discipline / and þis crafty science ¶ Lat take anoþer ounce quod he tho Of quik siluer / withoute wordes mo And do therwith / as ȝe haue done er þis With þat other / þat now siluer is This preest him besieth / in al þat he can To done as þis Chanon / þis cursed man Commaundeth him / an faste blew þe fire ffor to come to the effecte / of his desire And this chanon / right in þe mene while Al redy was / þis preest eft to begile And for a countenance / in his hond he bar An holgh stikke / take hede and be war In þe ende of which / an ounce and no more Of siluer lymayle / put was al bifore As was his cole / and stopped with wax wel ffor to kepe in / his lymayle euerydeel And whiles þis preest/ was in his besynesse This Chanon with his stikke / gan him dresse To him anoon . and his pouder cast In As he dide er / þe deuel out of his skyn him torne / I pray to god / for his falshede ffor he was euere fals / in word and dede And with his stikke / aboue þe crosse[le]tte That was ordeined / with þat false gette He stereth the coles / til relente gan The wax a-geyn the fire / as euery man But it a fool be / woot wel and moot nede And al that in the hole was / out ȝede And in to the crosselet / hastely it fel The preest supposed / no þing but wel But besied him faste / and was wonder fayn Supposinge noght but trouthe / sothe for to sayn He was so glad / I can it not expresse In no manere / his merthe and his gladnesse And to the Chanon / he profred eft sone Body and good / ȝe quod the Chanon sone Thogh pouere I be / crafty þou shalt me fynde I warne the / ȝit is ther more behynde Is ther ony coper / here-ynne seide he Ȝe sire quod the preest / I trowe ther be Ellis go bye som / and þat asswithe Now sire go forth þi way / and hythe He wente his way / and with þis coper he cam And this chanon / in hand it nam And of þat coper / weyed out but an ounce Al to symple is my tunge / to pronounce his monstre / and his witte . þe doublenesse Of this chanon / rote of cursednesse He semede freendly / to hem that knewe him noght But he was feendly / bothe in werk and thoght It werieth me to telle / of his falsnesse And natheles / ȝit wole I it expresse To that entente / þat men may be war þer by And for noon other cause trewely He putte this ounce of coper / in þe crosselet And on the fire / asswithe he hath it set And caste in pouder / and made þe preest to blowe And in his worching / for to stoupe lowe As he dide erst / and al was but a iape Right as him liste / þe preest he made his ape And afterward / in to the Ingot he it caste And in the panne / putte it atte laste Of water / and in he putte his owne hand And in his sleue / as ȝe bifore hand herde me telle / he had a siluer teyne he slighly toke it out/ þis cursed heyne Vnwetinge þis preest of his false craft And in the pannes botme / he hath it laft And in the water/ rombleth to and fro And wonder priuely / took it vp also The coper teyne / not knowynge þis preest And hidde it / and hente him by the breest And to him spak / and thus seide in his game Stoupeth a doun / by god ȝe be to blame helpeth me now / as I dide ȝow whiler Put in ȝoure hand / and loketh what is ther This preest took vp / þis siluer teyne anoon And þan seide the chanon / lat vs goon And thise thre teynes / whiche as we haue wroght To som goldsmyth / to wete ȝif it be ouȝt ffor by my faith / I nolde for myn hood But ȝif þei were siluer fyn and good And þat asswithe / preued shall it be [Vnto þe goldsmyth with þise teynes þree] They wente and pitte þise teynes in assay To fyr and hamer myȝte no man sey nay But þei were as hem oghte be] This sottid preest / who was gladder þan he Was neuere brid / gladder ageyn the day Ne nightyngale / in þe seson of May Was neuere noon / that liste better synge Ne lady lustyer / in carolynge And for to speke of Loue / and womanhede Ne knyght in armes / to done an hardy dede To stonde in grace / of his lady dere Than hadde þis preest/ þis craft for to lere And to þe Chanon / þus he spak and seide ffor þe loue of god / þat for vs alle deyde And as I may / deserue it vn-to ȝow What shal þis Receyt coste / telleth now By oure lady quod the Chanon / it is dere I warne ȝow forsothe / sauf I and a frere In Engelond / ther can no man it make No fors quod he / now sire for goddes sake What shal I paye / telle me I þe pray ywis quod he / it is ful dere I say Sire at oo word / ȝif þat ȝe lest it haue Ȝe shull paie fourty pound / so god me saue And ne were the frendshipe / þat ȝe dide er this To me / ȝe shulde paie more ywis This preest þe somme / of fourty pound anoon Of nobles fette / and toke hem euerychoon To þis Chanon / for this ilke receyt Al his worching was fraude and deceyt Sire preest he seide / I kepe to haue no loos Of my craft / for I wolde it were kept cloos And as ȝe loue me / kepeth it secree ffor and men knewe / al my sotilte By god men wolde haue so greet envie To me by cause / of my philosophie I shulde be ded / ther were noon oþer weye God forbede quod þe preest/ what seyȝe Ȝit had I leuere spenden al the good which þat I haue / and elles wexe I wood Than þat ȝe shulde / falle in such meschief ffor ȝoure good wil / sire haue ȝe right good preef Quod the Chanon / and sire fare wel graunt mercy He wente his way / and neuere þe preest him sey After þat day / and whan þis preest sholde Maken assay / at such tyme as he wolde Of þis Receyt/ fare wel it wolde not be Loo þus byiaped / and bygiled was he ¶ Thus maketh he / his introduction To bringe folk / to her destruction Considereth sires / how þat in eche astate Betwixe men and gold ther is debate So ferforth / þat vnnethes is þer oon This multiplying/ blendeth so many oon That in good feith / I trowe þat it be The cause grettest / of þis grete scarste Thise philosophres / speken so mistily In þis craft / þat men can not come þerby ffor eny witte / þat men haue now a dayes They may wel chitren / and ianglen as done iayes And in her termes / sette lust and peyne But to her purpos / shul thei neuere atteyne A man may lightly lerne / ȝif he haue oght To multiplie / and bringe his good to noght Loo such a lucre / is in þis lusty game A mannes merthe / it wol torne al to grame And empten also / grete and heuy purses And make folk / to purchace curses Of hem þat han þer to / her good ylent O fy for shame / þei þat haue be brent Allas can þei not flee / þe fires hete Ȝe þat it vsen / I rede that ȝe lete Lest ȝe lesen al / for bet þan neuere is late Neuere to thryue / were to long a date Thogh ȝe prolle ay / ȝe shull it neuere fynde Ȝe ben as bolde / as is bayard the blynde That blundreth forth / and perile casteth he noon he is as bold / to renne ageyn a stoon As for to go besides / in the weye So fare ȝe / þat multiplie I seye Ȝif þat oure eyen / can not seen a-right Loke þat ȝoure mynde / lakke noght his sight ffor thogh ȝe loke / neuere so brode and stare Ȝe shull not wynne / a myte in þat chaffare But wasten al / þat ȝe may rappe and renne Withdrawe the fire / lest it to faste brenne Medleth no more / with þat art I mene ffor ȝif ȝe done / ȝoure thrifte is goon ful clene And as swithe / I wol ȝow telle here what þat the philosophres / seyn in þis matere Loo thus seith Arnold / of the newe toun As his Rosarie / maketh mencioun He seith right thus / without eny lye Ther may no man / mercurie mortifie But it be with / his brotheres knowelechyng How þat he / which first seide this thyng Of philosophres / fader was hermes He seith how þat / the dragon douteles Ne dyeth not / but ȝif he be slayn With his brother / and þat is for to sayn By the dragon / mercurie and noon other He vnderstood / þat bremston were his brother That out of sol / and luna were y-drawe And þerfore seide he / take hede to my sawe lat no man besie him / this art for to seche But he / that the entencion and speche Of philosophres / vnderstonde can And ȝif he do / he is a lewed man ffor þis science / and þis cunnynge quod he Is of þe secre / of secrees parde Also þer was a disciple of plato That on a tyme / saide his maister to As his book sonier / wol bere witnesse And this was his demande / in sothfastnesse Tel me the name / of the priue stoon And plato answerde / vn to him anoon Tak the stoon / that titanos men name which is þat quod he / Magnesia is þe same His disciple seide / ȝe sire and is it thus This is ignotum / per ignotius What is magnesia / good sire I pray It is a water / that is mad I say Of elementes foure / quod plato Tel me the Roche / goode sire quod he tho Of that water / ȝif it be ȝoure wille Nay nay quod plato / certeyn þat I nylle The philosophres / were sworn ecchon That þei shulde discouere it/ to no mon Ne in no book / it write in no manere ffor vn to god / it was so leef and dere That he wol not / þat it discouered be But where it liketh / to his deyte Man to enspire / and eke for to defende whom that him liketh / loo þis is þe ende ¶ Than conclude I thus / syn þat god of heuene wol not / that the philosophres nevene how that a man / shal come vn to þis stoon I rede as for the beste / lat it goon ffor who so maketh god his aduersarie And for to worche eny thing in contrarie Vn to his wil; certes neuere shal he thryve Thogh þat he multiplie / terme of his lyve And there a poynt for ended is my tale God sende euery trewe man bote of his bale Prologus ¶ Thus endeth the tale of the Chanons yoman /] [Lichfield extract ends]